Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Spanish has a lot of ways to refer to stupidity. Below are some of the most common ones.

Aguacate – stupid in Costa Rica
Baboso – a slobbering fool
Bruto – stupid or rude
Burro – donkey or dumb-bell
Cabeza de cajón – a hollow head like a drawer
Cabeza hueca – a hollow head
Caído de la cuna – fallen from the cradle or dopey
Cerrado – stupid
Cretino – a cretin
Idiota – idiot . El es un idota (He is an idiot). Ell es una idota (She is an idiot)
Infeliz – a klutz
Jaibo – dumb in Costa Rica
Maje – also stupid in Costa Rica
Más cerrado que una bombilla – have your head more closed than a light bulb
Más cerrado que culo de mula – a vulgar Costa Rican form of the last expression
Necio – a jackass
No tener dos dedos de frente – to be brainless
No tener sal en la mollera – not very bright. La mollera is the soft spot on a baby’s head.
No tiene para un derrame – someone doesn’t have enough brains even to have a stroke
Payaso – a clown or stronger word for fool
Ser más corto que las mangas de un chaleco – to be shorter on brains than a vest’s sleeves
Simplón – a simpleton
Tarado – idiot
Tonto – fool
Torpe –  a klutz or clumsy

Tiquismo: Agüizote – is a belief or superstition. Agüizotes are also rites or rituals that are done to bring good luck for the new year. They originated in Spanish and were adopted by the people in Latin America. For example, some people eat 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve to bring them prosperity I the coming year. While others grab their suitcases and walk several times around the block in order to be able travel a lot in the coming year. Another ritual is to bathe in the closest river to say good bye to being single and find true love.  Finally, another one is to  use yellow underwear to attract good energy or red underwear to attract love. There are many more agüizotes.

Happy New Year

Año nuevo, mujer nueva – a new year, a new woman (humorous version of the next one)
Año nuevo, vida nueva – a new year, a new life
Comenzar el año nuevo con el pie derecho – start the new year with a bang (on the right foot)
¿Cuál es su propósito para el año nuevo? – What’s your New Year’s Resolution?
Despedir el año viejo – see out the old year
El día de año nuevo – New Year’s Day
¿Dónde va a recibir el año nuevo? – Where are you going to spend New Years Eve?
Fiesta de año nuevo – New Year’s party
Cuesta de enero – after-Christmas slump
Goma – hangover
Gomón – a bad hangover
Gotera – hangover
La cuenta regresiva – count down to  the New Year
La noche vieja – New Year’s Eve
Propósito – New Year’s resolution
Recibir el año nuevo – see in the new year
Un año para recordar – a year to remember
Víspera de año nuevo - New Year’s Eve

Tiquismos:
Las pintas de enero are the weather forecasts that are made for each of the twelve months of the year in Costa Rica. They are based on the changes in the weather at the beginning of January of each year. During this time the weather can vary a lot from day to day. For example, January second represents the month of February. January third represents the month of March, etc.  Pintar is the verb that is used to predict the weather in this case.

Pintas – is also a term for “criminal” in Costa Rica

George, He notado que su informe más reciente se está convirtiendo demasiado en autobiográfico.

Spanish has no single word for the English verb ‘to become’. Below I am going to explain the different ways of expressing this verb. It takes a long time and a lot of practice to master this concept. Keep your eyes and ears opens and try to look for other examples of how these verbs are used in different situations and you will get the hang of using them. “La práctica hace al maestro.” Practice makes perfect.

(1) Ponerse is used to indicate a change in mood, physical condition and appearance.

Example: Se puso ronco de tanto hablar. He got hoarse from talking so much

Example: El arroz se está poniendo caro. Rice is getting expensive.

(2) Volverse is usually used to show an  involuntary mental or physical change. The change is more permanent than ponerse.

Example: El hombre se volvío loco . The man went crazy.

Example: María se volvío desilusionada con la política. She became disappointed with politics.

(3) Hacerse usually involves a voluntary effort and a longer period of time.

Example: Pedro se hizo arquitecto. Pedro became an architect.

(4) Llegar a ser usually involves a slow and gradual change.

Example: Jorge estudío mucho y con el tiempo llegó a ser médico. George studied a lot and in due time became a doctor.

(5) Convertirse indicates change which is usually due to external circumstances.

Example : El crimen se ha convertido en un verdadero problema. Crime has become or turned into a real problem.

(6) Quedarse means to become but usually when a loss is involved.

Example: María se quedó sin dinero. María was left without money

Example: El niño se quedó huérfano. The child became an orphan.

Example: Tomás se quedó sordo. Thomas became deaf.

Tiquismo of the week – Ponerse como tomate is to blush.
Quedarse sin el santo y la limosna is to be left without something or lose something.

Darse la gran vida – to live it up
Estar en la flor de la vida – to be in the prime of one’s life
Estar lleno de vida – to be full of life
Estar vivito y coleando – to be alive and kicking
Gozar de la vida – to enjoy life
Jugar de vivo – to take advantage of something
Más vivo que un dolor de muelas – to be alive or cleaver
Nacer en una cuna de oro – to be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth
No hay señales de vida – no signs of life
Una vida privilegiada – a life of privilege
Vivazo – a wise guy
Vividor – a leach or freeloader
Vivir al día – to live day to day (poor)
Vivir al máximo – to live life to the limit
Vivir como escopeta de hacienda – to be pregnant all of the time (loaded)
Vivir de gorra – to live off others
Vivir horas extras – to be living on borrowed time
Vivir la vida – to live life
Vivir plenamente – to live fully

Campo santo – cemetery
Cementerio cemetery
Colgar los tenis – to die
Criar margaritas – to be pushing daisies
Escuchar las harpas celestiales – to hear the celestial harps  or to be close to death
Estar a las puertas de la muerte – to be at death’s door
Estar con permiso del panteonero – to be close to death or living on borrowed time
Estar con una pata en la tumba – to have one foot in the grave
Estar en las útimas – to be near death
Estar entre la vida y la muerte – to be between life and death
Estar más allá que acá – close to death
Estirar la pata – to die
Fallecer – to die
Más muerto que el abuelo – to be deader than a door nail
Morir – to die
Morir con las botas puestas – to die with boots on
Morirse de celos – to die of jealousy
Morisrse de envidia – to die of envy
Morirse de ganas de + verb – to be dying to do something
Morisrse de risa – to die of laughter
Morirse de susto – to be scared
Morirse por alguien – to be dying for someone (love)
Morirse por + verb – to be dying to do something
Muerto al hoyo, vivo al bollo – to take advantage of an opportunity
Muerto de cansancio – to be dead tired
Muerto de risa – to be dying of laughter
Muerto el perro se acaba la rabia -
No poner la mano donde la ha puesto el muerto – not to get hooked-up with a widow
Palmarse – to die
Panteón – cemetery
Pasar a mejor vida – to die
Patear el balde –to kick the bucket
Pelea a muerte – a fight to the death
Sacar con los pies adelante – to take out feet first (die)
Ser capaz de dormir un muerto – so boring you could put a dead person to sleep
Tener los días contados – to have your days numbered
Tieso – dead (stiff)
Traerlo vivo o muerto – wanted dead or alive
Ver las zanahorias al revés – pushing daisies

Tiquismo of the week – La pelona means death in Costa Rica

Anecdote: There is a road that goes past Jardines de Recuerdo Cemetary in Lagunilla de Heredia to the Real Cariari.  Across the street from Jardines de Recuerdo there is one of the area’s love motels. The locals call the street “El camino de la vida de la muerte”(the road of life and the road of death) because on one side of the street there is life (the motel) and the other there is death (the cemetery).

El coma – coma (medical)
La coma - comma
El cuento - story
La cuenta – bill or count
El trompo – a child’s tops that spins
La trompa – a elephants trunk, snout or the front of a car
El suelo - ground
La suela – the sole of a shoe
El palo – a stick
La pala - shovel
El cepo – stock used for punishment
La cepa – origin of a family or a strain of a disease (flu)
El rato – a short time
La rata – rat
El peso – weight (body etc.)
La pesa – weight for lifting
El ojo - eye
La hoja – a leaf or page of a book
El ceño – frown
La seña – a mark, a description or signal
El bote – a boat or can
La bota – a boot
El limo – slime, mud or lime tree
La lima – a file for polishing or filing down
El velo -  veil
La vela – a sail of a boat or a candle
El libro – a book
La libra – a pound or a 5000 colon bill in Costa Rican slang
El puerto - port
La puerta - door
El paso – a mountain pass or act of moving something
La pasa - raisin
El cuerdo – the sane person
La cuerda – rope or cord
El caso – case (legal) or situation
La casa - house
El cerdo - pig
La cerda – a bristle (tooth brush etc.)
El plato – plate for eating
La plata - money
La pera – pear
La perra – female dog

Tiquismo of the week – Tavo is a Costa Rican term for jail. El tarro is also used.