"soler" in Argentina
In the dictionary on this site (SpanDict ), it says that in S. Cone "soler" means "(ocurrir) to occur rarely, happen occasionally " This definition is almost the opposite of the more common meaning of "soler" (which, I know, changes depending on whether it is used in the present or past tense). I recall that when I was in Argentina, someone told me that "soler" isn't used very much in common, everyday language. So, I have a couple of questions: Is SpanDict correct in saying that in the Southern Cone (which includes Argentina) "soler" means to happen only occasionally? And if so, could someone familiar with the Castellano spoken in Argentina provide an example of the use of "soler" (both in the present tense and in the past tense)? 2) What words would someone in Argentina use instead of "soler" when wanting to say that something usually happens or someone used to do something (habitually)? So, for example, in the following sentence, what would a person from Argentina say if he or she would normally replace soler with something else: " En las noches suelen ofrecerse espectáculos de fuegos artificiales sobre el mar." ??
2 Answers
En las noches suelen ofrecerse espectáculos de fuegos artificiales sobre el mar.
I'm from Argentina and I'd say that sentence. 
The thing is, in my opinion, that we only use that verb conjugated. We would never say "soler", it even sounds weird to my ears. But we would, or at least I would, say something like:
Estas cosas me suelen pasar.
or...
Yo solía apoyar su ideología, pero después cambié de opinión.
But I would never use the verb in its infinitive, which is soler.
En las noches suelen ofrecerse espectáculos de fuegos artificiales sobre el mar.
Se puede decir
Normalmente/usualmente/generalmente en las noches se ofrecen espectáculos de fuegos artificiales sobre el mar.
