Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Cuatro ojos ven más que dos or dos cabezas piensan mejor que una – four eyes see more than two eyes or two heads are better than one.
De la mano a la boca se pierde la sopa or del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho – Easier said than done
El mandar no quiere par – Authority doesn’t want to be shared
No hay amor sin dolor or no hay rosa sin espina or no hay amor sin interés – Love doesn’t come without a cost
Parece que la fruta de la copa del árbol es más dulce or parece que la gallina del vecino pone más huevos que el suyo – The equivalent of “The grass is greener on the other side.”
Querer es poder – Where there is a will, there is a way.
Reunión de más de dos, es revolución or dos es pareja, tres es una multitud – two is company, three is a crowd
Saber es poder – knowledge is power

Tiquismos

Cletear of volar pedal – mean to ride a bicycle (bici) in Costa Rica. The correct way to say it is “montar en bicicleta.”

Most often when you want to say that you are undecided the verb estar is used + indeciso/indecisa. For example, José está indeciso.. Joe is undecided or can’t decide.

However, there are a few Spanish idioms which express the same idea. Since the language is very idiomatic it is best to learn these forms in case you hear them used by a native Spanish speaker.

Estar entre dos aguas – to be between two waters
Estar en la cerca – to be sitting on the fence
Estar con un pie adentro y otro afuera – to have one foot inside and one foot outside