Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Pensando

Pensar (to think) is used in a variety of expressions.

Adivinar el pensamiento - to guess what someone is thinking //  Leer la mente is also used (to read someone’s mind)
Cuando menos lo piensa - when you are least expect it, something will happen
Cuando menos se piensa - same as the last one
Después de pensarlo – After thinking about it….
Dos cabezas piensan mejor que una - two heads are better than one
Los grandes pensadores – great minds (Einstein , etc.)
Pensador - a thinker
Pensamiento - a thought
Pensándolo bien - after thinking about it…
Pensante - thinking (adjective) // Una persona pensante - a person who thinks a lot or uses one’s mind
Pensar antes de actuar - think before you act
Pensar bien de alguien - to have a good opinion of someone
Pensar con el trasero - the think with one’s rear end
Pensar de - to think of (opinion) // Qué piensa usted de Obama? - What do you think of Obama?
Pensar en – to think about // En qué piensa usted? What are your thinking about?
Pensar en grande - think big
Pensar en pequeño - think small
Pensar mal de alguien - to think badly of someone
Pensarlo - to think about it  // Lo voy a pensar - I am going to think about it.
Pensarlo mejor - think it over
Pensativo - pensive
¿Quién pensó el plan? - Who thought up the plan?
Se le ve el pensamiento - you can see someone’s thoughts because they are bald
Sin pensarlo dos veces - to not think twice about doing something (not to hesitate)

Tiquismos of the week:

• Piensa el ladrón que todos son de su condición - Evildoers always think the worst of others. Another variation is Cada ladrón juzga por su condición
• Pensar en los los huevos de gallo - to be distracted
• Pensar que la luna es de queso - to deceive oneself
• Pensar que los perros están amarrrados con chorizo - same as the last one
• Pensar que no es más que soplar y hacer botellas - to imagine something is easy

A  cara descubierta - openly
¡alegra su cara! - Cheer up!
Asomar la cara – to show one’s face
Caersele la cara de vergüenza - to be ashamed
Cara - a side of a record
Cara a cara - face to face or facing each other like two people or houses
Cara agria - sourpuss
Cara al norte - facing north
Cara de ajo - a stern face
Cara de barro - a shameless person in Costa Rica
Cara de cemento - stone face
Cara de chiste - funny looking
Cara de cuchillo - hatchet face
Cara de juez - a stern face
Cara de la montaña - the face of a mountain
Cara de limón - sourpuss
Cara de mala leche - a mean look on face
Cara de palo - a lot of nerve
Cara de pocos amigos - a sour face
Cara de póquer - poker face
Cara de sargento - somber looking
Cara dura - to have a lot of nerve
Cara larga - a long sad face
Carón - big face
Caripicha - penis face or dick head (a very bad insult in Costa Rica)
Dar la cara - face the music (fig)
Dar la cara por alguien - to stick up for someone
Descaro nerve Tuvo el descaro de decirme - He had the nerve to…….
Descarado - a shameless person
Dos caras - two-faced
Echar cara o cruz - to flip a coin
Esa cara me suena de algo - I know that face from someplace
En la cara - in one’s face
Hacer caras - to make faces
Hacer muecas - to make faces
Hocico - an animal’s snout but also used for a person’s face as an insult
La cara se lo dice - his face betrays him
No tener cara para - to not have the guts to do something
Poner cara de tonto - to have the look of a stupid person on one’s face intentionally
Poner mala cara - to grimace
Jacha - face in Costa Rica
Tarro - face in Costa Rica
Tener buena cara - to look well (person)
Tener cara de - to look like
Tener mala cara - to look awful (person)
Romper or partir la cara a alguien - to smash someone’s face
Rostro - also used for face
Salvar las apariencias - to save face
Verse las caras - we’ll have this out sooner or later
Volver la cara al revés a alguien - to turn someone’s face inside out

Tiquismos of the week:

• La necesidad tiene cara de perro – means beggars can’t be choosers Al caballo regalado no se le mira el colmillo – is another way to say the same thing
• Caras vemos, corazones  no sabemos - can’t judge by appearances
• Caras vemos, calzoncillos no sabemos - means the same as the last one
• Caras vemos, mañas no sabemos – means the same as the last one
• Al mal tiempo buena cara   – When things go wrong you should keep on smiling  Al mal tiempo buena sombrilla When the weather is bad you need a good umbrella

Dienton - big teeth

Barrigón – pot belly
Bizco – cross eyed
Blancucho – very white skin
Bola de manteca – a fat person
Cabezón – big head
Cachetón – big cheeks
Caderón – big hips
Calvo – bald
Cara de cuchillo – hatchet face
Cara de velorio – a sad face
Carón – big face
Ceguetas – bad eyes
Cojo – lame
Corveta – bow legs
Chaparrito – a short person
Chato – pug nose
Chimuelo – a person or child missing teeth
Chumeco – dark skin in Costa Rica
Cuatro ojos – fore eyes
Doble papada – double chin
Enano – a short person or child in Costa Rica
Flacucho – a thin person
Fósforo – a skinny person (a match stick)
Frentón – a big forehead
Gordiflón – a fat person
Greñudo – sloppy unruly hair
Hocicón – a big mouth or face (offensive)
Jorobado – hunchback
Lampiño – a person with little body hair
Larguirucho – a lanky person
Llantudo – a spare tire around the waist
Manco – missing a limb
Manudo – big hands or a fan of La Liga, the city of Alajuela’s soccer team
Mechudo – a lot of uncombed hair
Melenudo – long hair
Nalgón – a big butt
Nariz gacha  or de águila – hooked nose
Nariz respingona – turned up nose
Narizón – a big nose
Ojos saltones – pop eyes
Orejón – big ears
Palidejo – a pale person
Panzón – a big belly
Patituerto – knock knee
Patón – big feet
Pelilargo – a person with long hair
Pelón – bald
Piernudo – big legs
Pinta – appearance
Rechoncho – chubby
Renco – lame
Sindi – withour teeth (short form of sin dientes)
Tartamudo – a stutter
Tetona – large breasts
Timbuco – a big stomach in Costa Rica
Trompudo – big mouth or big lips
Tuerto – one-eyed
Velludo – a lot of body hair on arms, legs and back
Zancudo – lanky

Tiquismos of the week:

• En la tierra de los ciegos el tuerto es rey - the one-eyed man is a king in the land of the blind
• Se broncea en la morgue - to get your suntan in the morgue (used for a person with very white skin)
• La pinta es lo de menos - appearances don’t count
• Por la pinta se conoce - you can recognize him (her) by his (her) appearance
• Más planchado que sapo en carretera - to have no wrinkles
• Cabeza de pollo - dumb
• Tener pinta de… – To look like…
• La estampa - to look exactly like another person
• El hijo de tigre sale pintado - like father like son (to resemble physically or have other traits)
• Más calvo que una bola de billar - as bald as a billiard ball