¡Costa Rica!
Me llamo ...
My name is ...
Mucho gusto.
Nice to meet you, or in Costa Rica, this can mean "thank you".
No gracias.
No thanks.
la lengua, el idioma
Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica
los uniformes
Students in public and private schools wear uniforms
La tecnología en las escuelas
Technology in all schools is common. Costa Rica spends a lot of money on education.
¡Por dicha!
Thank goodness!
Muchas gracias.
Thank you very much.
Gracias.
Thank you.
San José, Costa Rica
The capital of Costa Rica
Ticos, Ticas
The nickname Costa Ricans give themselves
El bosque tropical
There are fertile tropical forests throughout Costa Rica
¡Qué pereza!
Ugh, what a drag! (syn. of "que tigra!")
Somos de ....los Estados Unidos
We are from...the USA
¡Qué torta!
What a mess!/How awful!
¿Cómo se llama?
What is your name? [formal]
¿Cómo te llamas?
What is your name? [informal]
¿Que miche?
What's up? What do you have to tell me?
¿Fijate? ¿Fijese?
Would you believe it? (informal, formal)
un cafetal
a coffee plantation
una pulpería
a general store
un dolor de jupa
a headache
una caminata
a long walk or hike
una lacra
a thief
aventurero, aventurera
adventurous
chepe
affectionate word for San José
el ocelote
an ocelot
las hormigas
ants
el armadillo
armadillo
el plátano
banana
la biodiversidad
biodiversity
macho, macha
blond, but used to describe any light skinned person. Also means guy (derived from machismo)
la mariposa
butterfly
el teleférico
cable car
la cucaracha
cockroach
el coco
coconut
los cangrejos
crabs
la artesanía
crafts
el cocodrilo
crocodile
Mae
dude (or any man/woman)
disculpe
excuse me
la pulga
flea
la jama
food
la rana, el coquí
frog
regalitos
gifts
una guila
girl
la guayaba
guava
el cobaya
guinea pig
el chante
home/house, place
el caballo
horse
¿Cómo amanecio?
how are you this morning?
el colibrí
hummingbird
el iguana
iguana
el lagarto
lizard
el mango
mango
los melones
melons
el mono, el chango
monkey
el mosquito
mosquito
la papaya
papaya
el pavo real
peacock
la piña
pineapple
porfa, por favor
please (porfa most commonly used in Guanacaste)
¡Pura vida!
pure life (a way of life, use to answer "how are you?", "thank you" or "you're welcome")
el perezoso
sloth
recuerdos
souvenirs
las arañas
spiders
las aguas termales
the hot springs
un chunche
thingamajig
regatear
to barter
estar de chicha
to be angry
jamar
to eat, to stuff oneself
regalarse
to give (instead of using the verb "dar")
Hacer canopy
to go ziplining
ganar
to rob
el tucán
toucan
las selvas tropicales
tropical rainforests
la tortuga
turtle
di, diay
used at the beginning of a sentence, similar to um or well
¡Ojo!
watch out!
la cascada, la catarata
waterfall
la sandía
watermelon
¡Que mala nota!
what a bad person!
el gusano
worm or caterpillar
Con gusto.
you're welcome (replaces "de nada")
Parque la amistad
"Friendship Park", a park shared by Costa Rica and Panama
el gallo pinto
A breakfast dish of rice and beans mixed together, served alongside eggs and fried plantains. Gallo pinto literally translates to painted rooster.
Agricultura
Agriculture is a large part of Costa Rica's economy
una carreta
An ox cart, it is a symbol of Costa Rica
Playas hermosas
Beautiful beaches line the coasts of Costa Rica
La tecnología limpia
Clean technology such as wind power are important to preserving the environment in Costa Rica
un quetzal, los quetzales
Colorful birds mostly found in South America.
un colón
Costa Rica's currency (money)
La bandera de Costa Rica
Costa Rica's flag has two stripes of blue, two stripes of white, one wider stripe of red with the coat of arms centered on the left side of the flag
El Volcán Arenal
Currently inactive, it is a volcano in the northwest of Costa Rica
pinche
Despite its meaning in Mexico, this word means "stingy" in Costa Rica.
el fútbol
El deporte nacional de Costa Rica
¡Qué dicha!
How great, How nice!
¡Que chiva!
How neat/cool!
No entiendo.
I don't understand.
Hablo un poco español.
I speak a little Spanish.