Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

This is a continuation of my series on Spanish legal language. The series will conclude with the next article

Life in prison – cadena perpetua
Probate – Sucesorio
Property – Propiedad
Prosecutor – Fiscal/procurador
Residency – Residencia
Restraining order – Orden de alejamiento
Retainer – Pago anticipado de honorarios
Ruling- Fallo
Sentence – Condena, pena or sentencia
Stockholder/shareholder – Accionista
Signature – Firma
Squatter – precarist
Suit – Demanda/ Querella
Summons – Citación
Suspect – imputado, sospechoso
Take the case (lawyer) – Llevar el caso
Take to trial – Llevar a juicio
Tax evasion- evasión fiscal
Testify – Declarar or testificar
Testify against – Testificar/declarar contra
Testify for – Tesitificar/declarar a favor de…
The right to enjoy a thing owned by another person – Usofructo (Like living in their home)
To appear in court – Comparecer
To dismiss a case – Desestimar
To record in the nation al registry – Protocolizar
To rule against – Fallar en contra de
To rule in a case – Fallar
To rule in favor of – Fallar a favor de
To rule against – Fallar en contra de
Trial – Juicio
Tribunal – made up of three judges
Trust – Fidecomiso
Trustee – Fidecomisario
Try – Juzgar/enjuiciar
Verdict – Fallo
Will – Testamento
Win a case – Ganar un caso
Witness – Testigo

Tiquismos of the week:

El que nace para burro del cielo le caen las orejas: If destined to be a burro, heaven will send you ears
El que nace para maceta del corredor no pasa: If destined for flower pot, from the corridor won´t be budged
El que nace para tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas: if destined to be a corn cake (tamal), heaven will send you the wrappers

In case you missed this in yesterday’s AM Costa Rica, here is something for all of you enamorados (people in love). Enjoy!

Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In Spanish-speaking countries the holiday is called Día de los Enamorados . It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine’s cards, flowers, chocolates or offering related gifts.

Below you will find an assortment of words and phrases related to the language of love.

Acaramelados – lovey dovey
Amor – love
Amor a primera vista – love at first sight
Amor juvenil – puppy love
Amorío – a love affair
Adventura amorosa – a love affair
Casarse detrás de la iglesia – to elope
Comprometerse – to become engaged
Compromiso – engagement
Cupidito – Cupid
Dar el sí – to get maried
Deshojando la margarita – “Does she love me, she loves me not , etc. ?
Dejar plantado – to stand someone up
Descorazonado – heartbroken
Desenamorarse – to fall out of love
Enamorarse – to fall in love
Echar el caballo – to make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echar el cuento – to make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echar los perros – make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echar el ruco – make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica)
Echarse la soga al cuello – to get married
Enamoradamente – lovingly
Enamoradizo – inclined to fall in love
Enamorar – to make someone fall in love with you or to enamour
Enculado – head over heels in love (Costa Rica/vulgar)
Encularse – to fall in love (vulgar)
Engañar – to cheat on your mate
Estar loco or loca por alguien – to be crazy about someone
Felizmente divorciado/a – happily divorced
Flechar – to sweep off one’s feet (love)
Juntados – to live together
Matricidio – marriage (matricide) sarcastically
Me atrae – I’m attracted to you
Me cae bien – I like you
Media naranja – one’s other half
Morirse por alguien – to be dying for someone
No hay amor sin dolor – no love without pain
No hay rosa sin espina – same as the last one
No hay amor sin interés – same as the last one
Perdidamente enamorado/a – lost in love
Pepeado/a – head over heels in love (Costa Rica)
Piropo – a flirtatious statement like “Dichosos los ojos que te ven” “Your a sight for sore eyes.”
Picaflor – playboy
Ponerle los cuernos – to cheat on a man
Rejuntarse – to shack up with someone
Romper or terminar con alguien – to break up with someone
Romper el compromiso – to break an engagement
Romper el corazón – to break someone’s heart
Ser infiel – to be unfaithful
Sonarle las campanas de la iglesia a alguien – someone is going to get married
Templado or caliente – horney
Tener algo con alguien – to a have a relationship with someone
Tener celos – to be jealous
Tórtolos – love birds
Traicionar – to betray
Usted es bonita – You are pretty
Usted es guapo – You are handsome

Humorous expressions about love:

Al Gato viejo, ratón tierno – old geezers like sweet young things
Asaltacunas – craddle robber
Caliente pichas or microondas – a woman who is a P.T. (vulgar)
Casarse con zeta – instead of casarse (the correct word to get married) means to get hunted instead of married jokingly.
Como en el amor y en la guerra, todo se vale – all is fair in love and war
Cuando de los cincuenta pases, no te cases – don’t get married after 50
Dar vuelta – to cheat on one’s mat (Costa Rica)
Del amor al odio sólo hay un paso – one step from love to hate
El amor es ciego pero el matrimonio abre los ojos – love is blind but marriage opens the eyes
El que casa por todo pasa – he who marries goes through a lot
Ella está con el hombre por el amor..por el amor del dinero – She is with him for love..for the love of money
Gallina vieja hace buen caldo – an old hen makes a good broth
La luna hiel – a bad honeymoon
Ir a la guerra ni casar no se ha de aconsejar – don’t get married or go to war
Ponerle los cuernos/cachos a alguien – to cheat on someone
Viejo verde – a guy who likes younger women

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