Have you heard the word ‘arvo’ before? It’s Aussie slang that means ‘afternoon’. Confused? Don’t worry, even native English speakers, from countries other than Australia, find this one a bit odd.
It’s pronounced how it appears: ah vō. Make sure you round your mouth when you pronounce the ‘o’ and place the stress on the first syllable.
Another important thing to remember is that ‘arvo’ doesn’t sound natural when used in greetings.
“Good afternoon, Sandy.” 
When using it in most other situations, though, you can usually just substitute ‘afternoon’ with ‘arvo’.
Here are some examples:
“Would you like to come over this afternoon?” -> “Would you like to come over this arvo?”
“I’m seeing him tomorrow afternoon.” -> “I’m seeing him tomorrow arvo.”
“I just had a relaxing afternoon.” -> “I just had a relaxing arvo.”
“We spent Friday afternoon at the zoo.” -> “We spent Friday arvo at the zoo.”
‘Arvo’ is a fun word that, when used correctly, can make you sound like a true blue Aussie. Try it out the next time you’re speaking to an Aussie and see how impressed they are.
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Glossary
Aussie [informal] – Australian, or an Australian person
slang – very informal language that is usually spoken rather than written
odd – strange or unexpected
syllable – a beat of a sound in a word, which can either be part of the word, or the whole word
greeting – a friendly or polite thing you say to someone when you meet someone
substitute – to use something or someone instead of another thing or person
come over [phrasal verb with come] – to visit someone’s home
true blue [Australian slang] – something that is genuinely Australian, very loyal, or represents authentic Australian values
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