Argentine’s Manners

Each country or region has its own culture and ways of regulating the social

behavior. From a law to an unwritten rule, people are expected to act in a determined

way. Unwritten rules are quite important in a society due to the fact they are common

knowledge that everyone should know. In Argentina, there are many examples of this

kind of rules that regulate behavior.

Be respectful is the foundation key in a society and in Argentina is no the

exception. For example, when you enter a room with people inside, the first thing you

have to do is to greet and ask for permission to let you in. In Argentina people

accustomed to greet with a kiss on the chick or to shake hands. So, do not forget to greet

an Argie!

Another important unwritten rule in Argentine Society is to share a mate.

According to Wikipedia, mate is a drink prepared with dried yerba mate and hot

weather and served in a calabash gourd. This drink is highly consumed by people from

all walks of life. In a park, in a school, or in a workplace, people share this drink. If you

have a mate, you must share it with those who are around you, and all drink from the

same bulb. However, there are some people that do not want to share or drink from the

same thing, and this is seen as a lack of respect.

Finally yet importantly, the way you addressed to people is important. While in

English people use ‘you’ when speaking to a boss or to a friend, Spanish distinguishes

‘vos’ and ‘usted’. The first is used in informal situations and the second in formal ones.

If you speak to a boss, you cannot use the personal pronoun ‘vos’ as it would be seen as

a lack of respect.
 To conclude, is it important to bear in mind that not only the written rules

regulate people’s behavior, but also do regulate the unwritten rules. When in Argentina,

people must greet before entering a room, share a mate, and address people accordingly.

Knowing the most important unwritten prescripts a society has, will help you to be a

better person.

Reference:

Wikipedia. Mate (drink). Retrieved on April 22, 2018 from,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(drink)