Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

In Spanish some  words are shortened in everyday conversations just like we do in English. For example we often use bike instead of bicycle or frig instead of refrigerator.

Here is the list of the most common shortened words.

El cole – from colegio (high school)
El compa – from compadre (pal)
El cumpli – from cumpleaños (birthday)
El profe – from profesor (teacher)
El celu – from celular (cell phone)
El abue y la abue – from abuelo (grandfather) abuela(grandmother)
El fut – from fútbol (soccer)
La peni – from penitenciaria (penitentiary)
La compu – from computadora (computer)
La bici – from bicicleta (bike)
La moto – from motocicleta (motorcycle)
El presi – from presidente (president)
El hospi – from hospital (hospital)
La tele – from televisión (television)
La U – from universidad (university)
La uni – from universidad (university)
La refri – from refrigerador (refrigerator)
El doc – from doctor (doctor)
La prosti – from prostituta (prostitute)
La muni – from municipalidad (municipality/city hall)
El wicho – from sanwich (sandwich)
El Pana – from Panameño (Panamanian)
El Nica – from Nicaragüense (Nicaraguan)
Guate – from Guatemala (Guatemala)
Por fa – from por favor (please)

Tiquismo or Costa Rican expression of the week: El wachi – from wachimán (watchman) Costa Rican Slang

¡Un toque! - Very quickly
Vacilar – to make fun of someone
Vacilón – fun, funny
¡Varas! - Just kidding
¡vaya jalando! - Get the hell out of here!
Vibra – vibes …like a person has good or bad vibes
Vieras – You should have seen
Vivazo – a smartass or tricky person
Vividor – a freeloader
Volar rabo – to have sex
Volar pata – to walk
Volar plomo – to shoot a gun
Volarse – to eat or drink mandarse is also used
¡Ya voy! – exclamation used for disbelief
Yegua – a stupid person
Yodo – coffee
Zarpe – one for the road or last drink of the night
¡zocale! Hurry up!
Zorra – a woman of dubious reputation
Zorro – a man who chases a lot of women