Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Here is a list of terms for all of you sport fans. Try reading the Sports Section in Spanish to see how many of these words you can find.

• boliche - bowling
• bolera - bowling alley
• bolos - pins
• jugar a los bolos - bowl
• estadio - stadium
• gimnasio - gym
• palacio de deportes - sports arena
• tribuna - grandstand
• correr - to run, race
• alpinismo - mountain climbing
• patinar sobre ruedas - roller skate
• patinar sobre hielo - ice skate
• pista de patinaje - skating ring
• la natación - swimming
• nadar - to swim
• atleta - athlete
• pelota, bola - ball
• atrapar - to catch
• beisbol - baseball
• baloncesto, básketbol - basketball
• cancha - court
• boxeo - boxing
• entrenador - coach
• ciclismo - bycycle racing
• campo - field
• fútbol americano - American-style football
• fútbol - soccer
• punto, tanto - point (score)
• marcador final - final score
• golf - golf
• tiro penal - penalty shot
• tiempo extra - overtime
• hipódromo, pista de carreras - horse racing track
• apuestas - bets
• árbitro - referee
• empate - draw, tie
• pérdida - loss
• victoria - victory, win
• equipo - team
• partido, juego - game

Tiquismo of the week: Hueco literally means hollow, but in Costa Rica is used to denote any type of opening like a hole.

In my last article I discussed how to pronounce the five basic vowel sounds in Spanish correctly so that your Spanish accent would not sound so typically “gringo.”

This week I want to give my readers a few other tips they can use for improving their Spanish accent. Most consonants, or letters that are not vowels, are pronounced the same in Spanish as they are in English with only a few exceptions listed below.

Here are some unusual consonant sounds that might give English speakers a little trouble.

1. The double “ll” and “y” are pronounced exactly the same in Spanish. Just like, “y” in the word “yes’ in English. Try saying these words: lluvia, yunta, yema, llorar.
2. The “ñ” is pronounced like the “ny” in the English word “canyon.” Try saying señor, baño, tiña.
3. The “v” is pronounced just like the letter “b” in the English word ‘book.” Try saying vaca, venir, ventilador, varilla.
4. The “z” is pronounced just like the English “s.” Say: sombrero, soda, silla.
5. The “j” is pronounced as the “h” in English. Try saying “José” this way.
6. The “g“before the vowels “a“, “o“, “u” is pronounced like the “g‘ in the word “got” in English. Try pronouncing the word “gafas” this way.
7. The “g” before the vowels “e“, “i” is, pronounced like the “h” in the English word “hat.” Try saying “gente” in Spanish.
8. The double “rr“is trilled or vibrated. The single “r” at the beginning of a word is pronounced the same way. Try saying these words: burro, rico, cigarro.

This concludes our series on pronunciation.

Tiquismo of the week:
Chinear means to spoil or “baby” a small child or adult. Mimar or consentir are correct Spainsh way to express the same idea.

Correct Spanish pronunciation is very important. If you cannot pronounce a word correctly, how can you expect for people to understand you when you are speaking Spanish. Also, not being familiar with the correct forms of pronunciation may keep you from understanding words when someone is talking to you.

There is nothing worse than hearing some foreigner butcher Spanish by mispronouncing words. Instead of saying, “I want an order of tacos,” you might hear “tacos” pronounced as “take-ohs.” With a little work and awareness, most of these gross pronunciation errors can be easily avoided. All you have to do is follow the rules below and you will improve your Spanish accent.

The first and most important step is to master the FIVE vowel sounds which are relatively easy. Once you have done this you are on your way to sounding like a native speaker.

Here are the five vowel sounds:

1. The “a” in Spanish is pronounced like the vowel sound in the English word “top.” Try to pronounce the “a” like this when you say these words: Ana, la, banana, cantar.
2. In Spanish the “e” sound is similar to the “e” in the English word “they” or the name of the first letter of the alphabet “a.” Say these words: le, Elena, Pepe, me.
3. The ‘i” in Spanish and the word “y” (and) are pronounced like the “i” in the word “Lisa.” Pronounce the words: si, y, risco, María.
4. In Spanish the “o’ is similar to the vowel sound in the English word ‘no.” Try keeping this in mind and pronouncing the following words: rojo, motor, Toni, lote, ojo.
5. The “u” in Spanish is pronounced like the letters “o” in the word “root.” Try to say these words: duna, una, Lupe, gusto.

Practice the five vowel sounds over and over and you will be surprised how much better your Spanish will sound.

1. Build your vocabulary. Try to learn a minimum of five new words daily.
2. Watch Spanish TV programs. Keep a note pad by your side and jot down new words and expressions. Later use the dictionary to look up any words and expressions you don’t understand.
3. Pay attention to the way the locals speak the language.
4. Listen to Spanish music.
5. Talk with as many different Spanish speakers as you can. You will learn something from everyone. Carry a small notebook and write down new words when you hear them.
6. Read aloud in Spanish for five minutes a day to improve your accent.
7. Try to imitate native speakers when you talk.
8. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
9. Practice using your new vocabulary words in complete sentences.
10. When you learn something new, form a mental picture to go along with it—visualize the action.
11. Try to talk in simple sentences. Remember, your Spanish is not at the same level as your English, so simplify what you are trying to say.
12. If you get stuck or tongue-tied, try using nouns instead of complete sentences.
13. Remember Spanish and English are more similar than different. There are many cognates (words that are the same of almost the same in both languages).
14. Learn all of the basic verb tenses and memorize the important regular and irregular verbs in each tense.
15. Study Spanish grammar, but don’t get bogged down in it.
16. Read the newspaper. The comic strips are great because they have a lot of dialog.
17. It takes time to learn another language. Don’t be impatient. Most English speakers are in a hurry to learn foreign languages and get frustrated easily because the process is slow.
18. Study a little bit everyday, be dedicated, persist and most of all enjoy the learning process.

¡Buena suerte! Good luck!

Tiquismo of the Week: Chispa refers to a person who is very intelligent.

If you are seriously considering moving to a Latin American country, you should begin to study Spanish as soon as possible.

Here are a few suggestions that will give you a head start in learning the language. Look for some type of Spanish course that emphasizes conversation as well as grammar and enroll as soon as possible. University extension, junior colleges and night schools usually offer a wide range of Spanish classes.

You should also consider studying at a private language school like Berlitz if there is one near where you reside. Many of these schools allow the students to work at their own pace.

Another excellent way to learn Spanish, if you can afford it, is to hire a private language tutor. Like private schools this type of instruction can be expensive, but is very worthwhile. The student has the opportunity of working one-on-one with a teacher and usually progresses much faster than in a large group situation.

If you happen to reside in an area where there are no schools that offer Spanish classes, you should go to your local bookstore and purchase some type of language cassette. This way, at least you will have a chance to learn correct pronunciation and train your ear by listening to how the language is spoken.

Listening to radio programs in Spanish and watching Spanish television are other ways to learn the language, if you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there are some of these stations.

You can also spend your summer or work vacations studying Spanish in Mexico or Costa Rica. This way you will experience language in real life situations. These language vacations can be enjoyable and rewarding experiences.

Finally, try befriending as many native Spainish speakers as you can who live in the area where you reside. Besides making new friends, you will have someone to practice with and ask questions about the language.

By following the advice above and making an effort to learn the language, you should be able to acquire enough basic language skills to prepare you for living in a Spanish speaking country. Best of all, you will acquire the life-long hobby of learning a new language in the process.