Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Costa Ricans approach the presidential elections with such enthusiasm that they celebrate Election Day as if it were a big party or national holiday. People wearing party colors, honking cars and bands playing Latin music all contribute to the festive atmosphere. The Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones lets Costa Ricans know where they have to vote. The day of the election the country’s 6,617 polling places are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. There are currently 2,822,491 voters registered for the upcoming election. In Costa Rica prisoners also have the right to vote so there are 37 polling places inside of the country’s 21 correctional centers.

The list of terms below should help readers understand the election process in Costa Rica.

La bancada – a group of deputies in an assembly that back an initiative, a party or a coalition
La campaña – campaign
El candidato/la candidata – candidate
El ciudadano – citizen
El compañero/ La compañera de fórmula – running mate
El conteo – the counting of votes
El derecho de sufragio – the right to vote
El diputado/la diputada – congressman/woman or representative
Elección arreglada –a fixed election
Una elección cerrada – a close political race
El electorado –electorate or voters
Empadronado – registered to vote
Empardronarse – to register to vote
Fraude electoral – voter fraud
Los escaños – seats in a congress or legislature
Juramentarse – to get sworn in
Un margen estrecho – a narrow margin (vote)
Las mesas – polling places in Costa Rica
Los observadores – people who observe elections to try and make sure nobody commits voter fraud or rigs an election
El padrón – the list of registered voters at a polling place
La ley seca – On past election days the prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages. The law was changed for this election so people can buy booze if they so desire. Since the Super Bowl falls on election day we won’t have a “dry” Super Bowl as in past election years.
La papeleta – paper ballot
Los partidarios – supporters
El partido político – political party
Período presidencial – presidential term (time in office)
Politiquear – to do politics using dishonest tactics
Politiquero/a – a person who looks out for his own interests inside the government
El político – politician
La presidenta – woman president
El presi – pres ….slang for president
El presidente – president
El presidente electo- the elected president
El presidente saliente – outgoing president
Postularse/lanzarse – to run for an office
Reconocer la derrota – concede defeat
El resultado – the result of an election
La segunda ronda – a run-off election when none of the candidates received enough votes in the first election to be elected. In Costa Rica this happens if none of the candidates get at least 40% of the vote.
Ser electo – be be elected
El traspaso de poder – transferring of power and duties to a new president
El Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones – the government entity in charge of elections
Las urnas – polls (mesas in Costa Rica)
El vicepresidente – vicepresident
Una victoria abrumadora/aplastante – an overwhelming victory
La votación – vote (noun)
El votante – voter
Votar – to vote

Tiquismos of the week:

Botar la basura – means to throw out the garbage. Sometimes when people ask who a person intends to vote for he or she answers in jest, “Solamente voy a botar la basura.” Botar (to throw out) sounds exactly like votar (to vote).
Hijueputado – a vulgar way to say diputado(congressman). Jokingly it means..Son of a b…. diputado.

Guilt – Culpa
Guilty – Culpable
Hearing – Audiencia
Higher court – Corte superior
House arrest – Arresto domiciliario or casa por cárcel
I.D. Card – Cédula
Illegal- Ilegal/prohibido
Illegal enrichment – Enriquecimiento ilícito
Impediment to leave country – Impedimento de salida
Innocent – Inocente
Jail – Cárcel
Judge – Juez (masc.)/Jueza (fem.)
Justice – Justicia
Key witness – Testigo clave, testigo estrella (star witness)
Law suit – Demanda
Lawyer – Abogado
Lawyer’s bar – Colegio de Abogados
Legal – Legal
Legal form – Papel sellado
Life sentance – Cadena perpetua
Litigate – Litigar
Litigation – Litigio or plrito
Lose a case– Perder un caso
Lower court – Corte inferior

Tiquismos of the week:

Así como es el chancho es la horqueta: The size of the pig determines its harness
Juntate con los buenos y serás uno de ellos: You are as good as your friends
El que con tigre se acuesta, desplumado amanece: if you court trouble, you´ll find trouble

Guachos – sunglasses
Cachos – shoes
Caite – shoe
Calzón – a woman’s underwear. Ropa interior is a more correct term.
Chema – camisa
Chingoleta – woman who wears little clothes
Chonete – hat
Chuicas – clothes (old or rags in a figurative sense)
Cruz – shirt
Cuello de tortuga – turtleneck
Faja – belt also used for the fan belt of a car.
Gabacha – a coat like a doctor uses
Jareta – an opening in the front of a pair of pants like a zipper.
Leva – jacket
Los cuatro por cuatro – glasses
Pachucos – A woman’s underwear
Panta – surfing shorts
Pantaloneta – shorts
Pinta – appearance
Ruco/Caballo – pants
Sueta – sweater The correct Spanish word is suéter
Tallador – brassiére. Sostén is the correct Spanish word.
Tacos – soccer shoes
Zafarse – to take off ones clothes
Zipper – zipper. The correct word is cremallera

Appropriate Tiquismos of the week:

Estar como chaqueta de salonero
or
Estar más limpio que chaqueta de salonero – to be broke
Sostienetetas – brassiére (vulgar). The correct word is sostén.
Zocarse la faja – to economize

LEGAL TERMS / TERMINOS LEGALES

Due diligence – Diligencia debida
Easement – Servidumbre
Executor – Albacea
Execution of the verdict – Ejecución de la pena
Embezzlement – Desfalco
Encumbrance – Gravamen
Evidence – Evidencia or pruebas
Eye witness – Testigo ocular
False witness – Testigo falso
Fees – Honorarios
Felony – Delito mayor
Fight case – Pelear el caso
Find guilty – Encontrar culpable
Find innocent – Encontrar inocente
Fine – Multa
Fraud – Fraude

Tiquismos of the week:

Destaparse el tamal: hell broke loose
Dios tarda pero no olvida: God may take time but never forgets
Donde menos se piensa salta la liebre: the hare jumps in the least expected place (things sometimes happen unexpectedly)

Agúizotes (ah-gee-so-tays) are a tradition in Costa Rica and many Latin American countries. They can be defined as a superstitious beliefs. Some people use them to play the national lottery (la lotería) while others use to make their dreams come true for the new year. In the case of the lottery some play the numbers of their date of birth (natalicio or fecha de nacimiento). Others use the numbers of their children’s birthday (cumpleaños or cumple in slang), their own lucky number (número de suerte) or choose number at random (al azar).

Most often los agüizotes are associated with the coming year (el año venidero) and the desire to begin the new year con el pie derecho (to start the year with the right foot). Other expressions are: Año Nuevo, vida nueva (a new year, a new life), Borrón y cuenta nueva (to start with a clean slate) or Comenzar con el viento a su favor (start the with winds blowing in your favor and not against you).

Here are some popular agüizotes:
(1) Wear your clothes inside out on New Years Eve (Noche Vieja or la noche de año viejo) and turn them right side out after midnight.
(2) Using any type of yellow clothing. In Mexico the color of choice is red and in Argentina the color is pink.
(3) Eating twelve grapes at midnight.
(4) Cleaning the whole house to remove the the bad vibes (la mala vibra) or spirits (los espiritus malos) that have accumulated during the past year. The cleaner the house the more chances of good things happening during the coming year.
(5) The lighting of white, red or green candles to bring love, harmony, health and wealth in the coming year. The white candles bring clarity, the red bring passion and the green health.
(6) If you want to marriage, stand up and sit down each time the clock strikes (Dar la hora) twelve times at midnight.
(7) If you want money, see in the New Year with coins or bills inside your shoes.
(8) Wear new clothes in order to acquire a lot of clothes in the coming year.
(9) If you don’t want to be lacking money, put a gold ring in a glass of wine or champagne and make a toast.
(10) If you want to travel next year, put your suitcases (maletas) by the door or walk around the block dragging one of them (hopefully it has wheels).
(11) If you want prosperity, eat a spoonful (cucharada) of cooked lentil beans (lentejas) during the first few minutes of the new year.
(12) If you want to attract money wash your hands with wine and sugar at midnight.
(13) If you want abundance pass out ears of wheat (espigas) to the people with whom you are sharing the evening
(14) To get rid of all of this year’s bad things or evil make a dummy/doll (muñeco) out of you old clothing. Next write on a piece of paper all of the bad things you want to leave in the past. Pin the paper on the doll and burn the whole thing at midnight.