Getting Started
Preparing for a trip to Buenos Aires for tango? Our Survival Milonga Spanish lesson will help you get started!
Feeling nervous for going to local milonga for the first time? Knowing some essential Spanish phrases and códigos (rules) of Buenos Aires milongas would help you feel more prepared and at ease for your first tango trip!
You can check out a daily listing of milongas at Buenos Aires at the website of Hoy milonga:
http://www.hoy-milonga.com/buenos-aires/es
An Hoy milonga App is also available for iPhone and Android phones.
Reservation
It is better to call the owner of the milonga to make a reservation before hitting a milonga, as this would help you to secure better seat(s). If you walk in, you may risk being offered a seat/table at the corner, or at the back which makes it very difficult to perform cabeceo (the use of eyes for dance invitation).
You can make a phone call to the owner and say:
Hola, me gustaría hacer una reserva para X persona(s).
Hello, I would like to make a reservation for X person(s)
The owner would ask:
¿Tu nombre?
Your name?
You can answer¨
Me llamo X, (y mi apellido es X)
My name is X, (and my surname is X)
Entering the milonga
When you arrive at the milonga, you can ask the reception for the ticket:
Quiero X entrada(s), por favor.
I want X (number) tickets, please
You may also want to ask for the price:
“¿Cuánto cuesta la entrada?¨
How much is the ticket?
After buying the ticket, wait for the owner to lead you to your seat. It is considered mal educado (bad-mannered) to find your own seat. If you don’t like the seat offered, you may politely ask for change:
¿Puedo tomar otra silla/mesa, por favor?
Can I take another seat/table, please?
Shoe changing
In Buenos Aires milonga it is considered bad manner to change your street shoes to tango shoes at your seat. You may do the shoe changing in a toilet/changing room.
You can ask for the toilet/ place for clothes changing:
¿Dónde está el baño? /¿Dónde puedo cambiar mi ropa?
Where is the toilet?/ Where can I change my clothes?
Happy dancing!
Fancy a tango Spanish class? Check out the profile of our Argentine teacher Marcella and book a lesson with her.
Want to learn more Spanish for tango? Check out: