Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Spanish like English has different names for different people.  By learning the words below you will increase your vocabulary, comprehension and language fluency.

la gente, las personas - people
el hombre - man
la mujer - woman
el niño, la niña - boy or girl child
el muchacho, la muchacha- young boy or young girl
el bebé, la bebé - baby boy or baby girl
Señor or Sr. - a man or Mr
Señora or Sra. - a lady or Mrs.
Señorita - a young unmarried woman
alguien - someone
nadie - nobody
cualquier persona - anyone
los compañeros - pals, buddies
todo el mundo - everyone
tipo or tipa - a guy or gal
el amigo, la amiga - male of female friend
el novio, la novia - boyfriend or girlfriend
los novios - sweethearts or bride and groom
el enemigo - enemy
los parientes - relatives
el hijo, la hija - son or daughter
los hijos - sons and daughters
el padre - father
la madre - mother
el abuelo - grandfather
la abuela - grandmother
los padres -parents

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week:  Echar el cuento  means to seduce a member of the oppostie sex by saying nice things.

Generally spaeaking the verbs mirar and ver mean to “look” or to”see” in Spanish; for example,Miro la telvisión (I’m looking at TV) or Vemos el mar (We’re looking at the ocean).

However, when we want to say “something” or “someone” looks sad, happy, fat etc., we have to use either the verb lucir or the reflexive verb verse.

Here are other idiomatic expressions that use the verb “to look.”

Despreciar - to look down on a person
buscar - to look for
Ocuparse de or velar por -  to look out for someone
examinar - to look over or examine
venir a ver - to up someone
respetar, admirar - to look up to someone
tener cuidado con - to look out for or watch out for
tener buen aspecto, verse bien - to look good
tener mal aspecto, verse mal - to look bad

Tiquismo of the week: Pichel is a slang  for face.

If you plan to reside or do business in Costa Rica, sooner or later you will require the services of a lawyer to handle legal matters which can range from immigration problems to even a lawsuit. It is very important to choose a bilingual attorney if your Spanish is not up to par. Even if you have a bilingual attorney you will still be confused by the many Spanish legal terms which you will encounter.

Learning the vocabulary below is an important Spanish survival skill.

fallo - ruling
comparecencia - appearance in court
el tribunal - court
el tribunal de apelación - court of appeals
tribunal inferior - lower court
tribunal superior - higher court
audiencia - hearing
la corte - court
admitir - admit (evidence)
acusación - accusation
denuncia - accusation
testificar contra/declarar contra - testify against
testificar a favor de/ declarar - testify for
a favor de
testigo - witness
testigo ocular - eye witness
testigo falso - false witness
fianza - bail
pelear - fight a case
caso - case
abogado - lawyer
papel sellado - legal paper
multa - fine
defender - to defend
juzgar - to try a case or person
juicio - trial
culpable - guilty
inocente - innocent
el jurado - jury
el estrado - the stand
juez - judge
sentencia - sentence
pleito/demanda - lawsuit
custodia - custody
pensión alimenticia - alimony/support
procurador - prosecutor
veredicto - verdict
testamento - will
dueño - owner
propiedad - property
citación - summons
fraude - fraud
estafa - swindle
desfalco - embezzlement
El Colegio de Abogados - bar (lawyer’s association)

Tiquismo of the week: picado means to be drunk in Costa Rica.