Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

The noun “trabajo” means “work” and the verb “trabajar” means “to work.” Both have many idiomatic uses.

Ahorrarse el trabajo – to save oneself the work
Dar trabajo – to be hard to do. Esta tarea me da mucho trabajo – This task is hard to do. Dar trabajo can also mean to give work or a job to someone.
El hijo está trabajando a su madre para sacarle plata – The kid is working his mother to get some money out of her.
El tiempo trabaja a nuestro favor or tenemos el tiempo de nuestro lado – Time is working for us or time is on our side.
No trabajamos este producto – We don’t carry that product. You here this a lot in Costa Rica
Partirse el lomo – to break one’s back working
Tomarse el trabajo de + verb or tomarse la molestia de + verb – to take the trouble to do something
Trabajo a destajo – piecework or to get paid by the piece.
Trabajo fijo– a permanent job
Trabajo forzado – forced labor
Trabajo manual – manual labor
Trabajo provisional or trabajo temporal – temporary work
Trabajar como loco – to work like crazy
Trabajar como un esclavo or hormiga (to work like a slave or ant) – to work hard or work a lot.
Trabajar de sol a sol (to work from dawn to dusk)– to work all day
Trabajar medio tiempo – to work half time
Trabajar mucho or duro – to work hard
Trabajar para vivir o vivir para trabajar – work to live or live to work
Trabajar tiempo completo – to work full time

Tiquismos and expressions

• Brete is the word for work in Costa Rica. Also bretear may be used instead of the verb trabajar.
• Amasando se hace el pan – Only by working can you finish a task.
• El trabajo enfanga el espiritu – Work is a drag.
• No hay atajo sin trabajo – There is no shortcut without work.

The noun “trabajo” means “work” and the verb “trabajar” means “to work.” Both have some special uses.

Ahorrarse el trabajo – to save oneself the work
Dar trabajo – to be hard to do. Esta tarea me da mucho trabajo – This task is hard to do. Dar trabajo can also mean to give work or a job to someone.
El hijo está trabajandoa su madrepara sacarle plata – The kid is working his mother to get some money out of her.
El tiempo trabaja a nuestro favor or tenemos el tiempo de nuestro lado – Time is working for us.
No trabajamos este producto – We don’t carry that product. You here this a lot in Costa Rica
Partirse el lomo – to break one’s back working
Tomarse el trabajo de + verb or tomarse la molestia de + verb – to take the trouble to do something
Trabajo a destajo – piecework or to get paid by the piece.
Trabajo fijo– a permanent job
Trabajo forzado – forced labor
Trabajo manual – manual labor
Trabajo provisional or trabajo terporal – temporary work
Trabajar como loco – to work like crazy
Trabajar como un esclavo or hormiga (to work like a slave or ant) – to work hard or work a lot.
Trabajar de sol a sol – to work all day
Trabajar medio tiempo – to work half time
Trabajar mucho or duro – to work hard
Trabajar para vivir o vivir para trabajar – work to live or live to work
Trabajar tiempo completo – to work full time

Tiquismos and expressions

• Brete is the word for work in Costa Rica. Also bretear may be used instead of the verb trabajar.
• Amasando se hace el pan – Only by working can you finish a task.
• El trabajo enfanga el espíritu – Work is a drag.
• No hay atajo sin trabajo – There is no shortcut without work.

dar el golpe – to cause a sensation or make a hit
de golpe – all of sudden or suddenly. De golpe todo se fue al diablo. All of a sudden everything went to hell.
de golpe y porrazo – hastily, hurriedly
golpazo – a violent blow
golpe – a blow, bump or stroke
golpe – a shot or stroke like in golf
golpe – a criminal act. Ellos prepararon un golpe al banco. They planned a bank job. Dieron un golpe en el banco. They did a bank job.
golpe de salida – to tee off in golf
golpear (verb)– to beat, hit or strike
golpe bajo – a low blow (in boxing) or figuratively a lowly act
golpe a golpe – blow by blow
golpe de estado – a coup d’etat or to overthrow a government
golpe de fortuna or golpe de suerte – a stroke of good luck
golpe de gracia – finishing blow or death blow when you kill someone. The verb rematar means to finish someone off.
golpe de remo – oar stroke
golpe de viento – a gust of wind
golpe duro – a big blow (figurative). La muerte de su mamá fue un golpe duro para él. The death of his mother was a hard blow for him.
golpe maestro – a stroke of genius
golpecito – a small tap of blow
golpiza – a savage beating. Paliza is also used to express the same idea. In vulgar Costa Rican Spanish pichaseada or vergeada mean the same thing.
llegar a golpes – to come to blows or fight
parar el golpe – to ward off a blow or strike
un golpe aplastante – a crushing blow

Tiquismo (Costa Rican Expressions) of the week:

A golpe dado no hay quite – what’s done cannot be undone

The article below does not advocate the use of drugs. It is only intended to familiarize you with Costa Rican slang that you may hear on the local news or read in the Spanish newspapers.

Adicto – addict
Allanamiento or redada or operativo – a drug bust or raid
Amansalocos or calmantes or tranquilizantes – tranquilizers or a drug to calm someone down
Anfetaminas – amphetamines
Boletas – rolling papers for marijuana cigarette
Brownies – brownies with marijuana
Cajeta – high quality marijuana or buds
Colilla – the butt or roach of a marijuana cigarette
Cocinar or freir el cerebro – to fry one’s brains with drugs
Cultivo de marijuana – a marijuana farm
Depresor – anti-depressant or “downer”
Desintoxicarse – to dry out or go through withdrawl
Drogarse – to high on drugs
Drogo – drug addict
Estar enviajado – to be high on drugs or take a drug trip
Elevarse – to get high
Éxtasis – a dangerous drug colloquially know as ecstasy
Grifa – slang for marijuana
Hacerse un purillo – to smoke a joint
Heroina – heroine
Huelepega – a glue sniffer
Jalada – a toke or inhalation
Marijuana hidropónica – marijuana grown in water or hydroponically
Marijuano – a pot smoker
Mata – a bush or marijuana plant
Matadora – a roach clip in Costa Rica
Mecha – slang for marijuana
Metanfetaminas – crystal meth
Metaqualona – Quaalude
Monte – also slang for marijuana
Mota – also slang for marijuana
Moteado – stoned on pot
Motero – a pot smoker
Oler coca – to snort coke
Oxído nitroso o gas hilarante – laughing gas
Pegarle al puro – to take a hit or inhale
Pegarse un pericazo – to snort cocaine
Perico – slang for cocaine
Picadura – finely ground marijuana
Picapiedras – literally the Flintstones or a crack head
Piedra – crack cocaine
Piedrero – crack head
Pijearse – to smoke pot or get high
Psicotrópicos – drugs that affect your mood and behavior
Puchito de marijuana – a little bit of pot
Purillo – a marijuana cigarette or joint
Puro – also a marijuana cigarette
Quemado – a pot head
Quemarla – to smoke a joint or burn one
Raya or pijillazo – a line of cocaine
Tocola – the butt of a marijuana cigarette or roach
Tostado – drugged
Yierba – this word literally means grass but is slang for marijuana just like in English

Tiquismo (Costa Rican Expressions) of the week:

mover el piso – to get someone’s attention. This expression literally means to move or shake the ground.

De la noche a la mañana - overnight. No se puede aprender el español de la noche a la mañana. You can’t learn Spanish overnight.
El día de mañana – some time in the future
El mañana – the future. María trabaja para el mañana. Mary works for the future.
¡Hasta mañana! – See you tomorrow
Hoy comemos mañana no sabemos – the future is uncertain or we may not be here tomorrow
Hoy por mí mañana por ti – one favor deserves another
La mañana siguiente – the following morning. La mañana siguiente José salío para la playa. The following morning Joe left for the beach.
Mañana a primera hora – the first thing in the morning. Saldremos para la playa mañana a primera hora. We’ll leave for the beach first thing tomorrow morning.
Mañana por la mañana – tomorrow morning
Mañana por la tarde – tomorrow afternoon
Mañana por la noche – tomorrow night
Mañana será otro día - tomorrow is another day. You’ll have a fresh start tomorrow.
Mañanear – to get up early in the morning. The verb madrugar means the same thing.
Mañanero – an early riser or morning type person. Madrugador means the same thing
Muy de mañana – early in the morning
Náuseas de la mañana – morning sickness
No dejar para mañana lo que puedes hacer hoy – Don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today.
Pasado mañana – the day after tomorrow
Por la mañana – in the morning. Siempre camino por la mañana. I always walk in the morning.

Tiquismo (Costa Rican Expressions) of the week:

Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda – the early bird catches he worm.
Al que madruga, come pechuga – Word play on the first one. He who gets up early eats chicken breasts