Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Next to practicing with native speakers, watching Spanish television programs is one of the best ways to learn the language.  All you have to do is own a television set and live in an area where there are Spanish stations.  If you reside in a Spanish-speaking country like Costa Rica, there are a variety of programs and channels from which to choose.  Even if you live in the United States, there are many Spanish cable TV stations available, especially in the west and southwest.

By viewing Spanish television you will have a chance to observe how Spanish is really spoken in a variety of daily situations.  Many of the structures and rules that you learn in Spanish classes will start to fall into place. You will also be able to improve you listing and comprehension skills. Above all, you will increase your vocabulary and see how words are used in many different contexts.

Here are some ways you can use your television to learn Spanish. A good exercise is to watch the news first in English, then in Spanish. The stories will basically be the same so you will know what is going on.  At first you will notice the reporters speak very quickly, but once you increase your vocabulary you will be able to keep up with what is being said in Spanish.

Speaking of vocabulary it is a good idea to keep a pen and paper handy to write down words or expressions that you don’t understand.  Jot them down and look up the meanings later.  This is an excellent method of increasing both your vocabulary and improving your comprehension skills.

Once you can understand the news in Spanish, you can then graduate to Spanish soap operas or telenovelas as they are called.  Don’t pay much attention to the trite, melodramatic parts but rather the dialogue and how Spanish is used by the characters in rea life situations.  Don’t worry if you get lost now and then because you can usually figure out what’s going on by watching the interaction between the actors and their gestures.

Try to view a variety of programs including cartoons and children’s programs, since the vocabulary and dialogue are easy to understand.

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week: Colochos  are curls in your hair.

Since many small bars in Costa Rica usually don’t have bilingual bartenders, drinkers
should learn how to order beverages in Spanish. The names of most drinks and cocktails are universal, but may vary from country to country.
Here are a few basic phrases you should use to assure you get what you order.

jerez - sherry
vino - wine
vino tinto - red while
vino blanco - white wine
cerveza, birra (Costa Rica) - beer
wiski - wiskey (pronounced the same way)
ron - rum
ron con coca - rum and coke (also called a “Cuba Libre”)
botella - bottle
champaña or champán - champagne
corcho - cork
sacacorchos - corkscrew
agua mineral - mineral water
con hielo or en las rocas - with ice or on the rocks
licor - liquor
doble, triple - double, triple “shot”
quinada - quinine water soda
limón - lemon
guaro - Costa Rican moonshine
otra vuelta, otra ronda - another round of drinks
cortesía de la casa - on the house
borracho - drunk
trago, copa - a drink (with alcohol)
la propina - tip
gaseoso - soft drink
la cuenta - bill
abrir una cuenta - run a tab

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week: Tapis   refers to an alcoholic drink.

Spanish is not a difficult language to learn.  If you recognize the similarities between Spanish and English, you will realize Spanish is not as foreign as you might think.  In fact, Spanish and English are more similar than different.  Being aware of these similarities will help you learn faster.

Let’s look at the following sentence from the first chapter of a beginning Spanish  textbook: El libro es rojo. In English: The book is red. The word order is the same in both English and Spanish. In most cases you will find that the word order in Spanish and English  coincide about 80% of the time. Once you understand this pattern of basic sentence structure and  see the similarities between Spanish and English , you will find it surprisingly easy to speak in simple sentences. This process may take some time to get use to, but once you acquire a feel for it your Spanish will begin to improve by leaps and bounds.

Besides the similarity in sentence structure, there are also thousands of words that are alike in Spanish and English. These words are called cognates. They are similar to english so you won’t have to learn them. By understanding this concept you can increase your vocabulary and improve both your comprehension and ability to hold a conversation in Spanish.

For instance, most English words which end in OR are like Spanish words and have the same meanings. All you have to do is practice their Spanish pronunciation. be sure to stress the last syllable of these words, like this: doc-TOR, hon-OR, ac-TOR, pro-fe-SOR, etc. In addition, many English words which end in AL are like Spanish words and mean the same thing.  Again, just practice their Spanish pronunciation. Don’t forget to stress the last syllable, like this: fin-AL, cr-er-AL, ca-NAL, prin-ci-PAL, to-TAL, etc.

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week: In Costa Rica gallina  means a coward or “chicken.”