Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

The verb dar usually means to give in Spanish. However, it is used with many idiomatic expressions where it can mean something else.

A todo dar – wonderful, fantastic, great.
¡Dale¡ – Hurry up!
Dar a conocer – to make known
Dar a entender – to imply or insinuate
Dar asco – make someone sick
Dar celos – to make someone jealous
Dar con – to come across of find. Toparse con and encontrarse con are also used.
Dar cuerda – to wind a watch or encourage someone
Dar de alta – to release or discharge a patient form the hospital or someone from the army
Dar de baja – to remove someone from a list (like subscribers)
Dar de comer – to feed
Dar la bienvenida – to welcome someone
Dar la cara por alguien – to stand up for someone or defend someone
Dar el sí – to get married
Dar por sentado or dar por hecho – to take for granted
Darle a alguien – to hit someone

Expression :
Dar en la madre – to kick someone’s ass (vulgar and offensive)

Echar el cuento – to try and seduce someone by flattering them
Estañon sin fondo – a bottomless pit (a person who eats a lot)
Estrilar – to complain. Quejarse is the correct verb.
Fresa – a spoiled rich kid
Frito – screwed or to have now chance
Galleta – a smart person. This word literally means “cookie.”
Guachimán – a guard or watchman
Harina – money. Dinero is the correct word.
Jacha – face. Cara or rostro are the correct words.
Jalar – to date your sweetheart. Jalar (Halar) literally means “to pull.”
Lance – the chance to seduce a woman
Limpio – to have no money. Limpio literally means “clean.”
Mejenga – an informal pick-up game of soccer.
Mocoso – child . Niño or niña is the correct word for child
Nave – a car. Nave literally means a ship.
Ni papa – nothing

Aplanchar la oreja – to sleep
Aprete – to kiss
Argolla – a clique or group of people with similar interests
Armarse la gorda – to start a fight
Bagaces – a bum or lazy person
Bañazo – ridiculous or shame
Bateador – a person who guesses at something or who is uncertain
Bicho – a strange person or animal
Blanco – a cigarette. The correct word is cigarillo.
Brete – work (noun). The correct word is trabajo
Cabanga – sadness
Cabra – girlfriend. Novia is the correct word
Cambiarle el agua al pajarito (to change the bird’s water literally)– to urinate. Orinar or mear are the correct words.
Cañas – slang for colones (Costa Rica’s money)
Detrás del palo – lost or out of it
Dolor de huevos – a pain in the balls (butt). This expression is vulgar.

Expression of the week:
Dios aprieta pero no ahorca – God won’t deal you more than you can handle

A la hora en punto – on the dot (time). Son las seis en punto. It’s six on the dot.
A primera hora – the first thing in the morning
A útima hora – at the last minute
¿A qué hora? – At what time?
Dar la hora – to strike the hour (clock)
Hora de comer – mealtime
Hora de verdad – the moment of truth
Hora estelar – prime time (TV)
Hora pico – rush hour
Horas extraordinarias or horas extras – overtime
Hora-hombre – man-hour
Horario – schedule
Horario – hour hand on a clock
Horas libres – free time
Huso horario – time zone
Llegar a buena hora – to arrive in time
Media Hora – one-half hour
No ver la hora de irse – can’t wait to go
Noticias de útima hora – last minute news
Poner el reloj en la hora – set the clock
Por hora – per hour. El tren viaja a 100 millas por hora. The train travels at 100 miles per hour.
¿Qué hora es? – What time is it?
Ser hora de + verb – to be time to. Es hora de ir al cine. It’s time to go to the movies.
Trabajar por horas – to be paid by the hour
Ya es hora de hacer algo – it’s time to do something

Expressions in Spanish

Vivir horas extras – to live on borrowed time or estar con permiso del panteonero.
Tener los días contados – to have one’s days numbered

Adorador de sol – a sun worshiper
Al sol – in the sun. Estoy al sol or estoy bajo el sol. I am in the sun
Arrimarse al sol que más calienta – to know which side one’s bread is buttered
Bajo el sol – under the sun
Baño de sol – a sun bath
Brilla el sol – the sun is shinning
De sol a sol – from sunrise to sunset. José trabaja de sol a sol. Joe works from sunrise to sunset
El lado brillante de las cosas – the bright side of things
Gafas or lentes de sol – sunglasses
Girasol – sunflower
Hace or hay sol – it’s sunny
Insolación – sunstroke Insolarse is the verb to get a sunstroke
Luz solar – sunlight
Sol- the sun or a term of endearment said to one’s lover
No dejar a ni sol ni a sombra – to not leave someone alone or to keep a constant eye on them. No dejar en paz is also used.
Ponerse el sol – to set (the sun)
Puesta del sol – sunset or sundown
Quemadura de sol – sunburn
Rayo de sol – a sunbeam
Reloj de sol – sun-dial
Salida de sol – sunrise
Sol de media noche – midnight sun
Sol naciente – the rising sun
Tomar un baño de sol or asolearse – is to take a sunbath

Expressions

Broncearse los glúteos – to tan one’s buns (butt)
Comprar el sol – used in Costa Rica when someone is wearing sunglasses when it is not sunny
Ni el sol me calienta – inconsolable or despondent