Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

The following expressions are used to express the idea of being tired of or fed up with something or someone.

Estar cansado/a de – to be tired of (very common phrase)
Estar harto/a – to be fed up with (very common phrase)
Estar hasta el copete – to be fed up with
Estar hasta el gollete - to be fed up with (Spain)
Estar hasta el gorro - to be fed up with (Mexico)
Estar hasta el moño - to be fed up with (Spain)
Estar hasta el tope - to be fed up with
Estar hasta la coronilla - to be fed up with (used widely in Latin America)
Estar hasta la madre - to be fed up with (used in Central America and Mexico); also means to be drunk
Estar hasta de cejas - to be fed up with
Estar hasta las narices - to be fed up with
Estar hasta los topes - to be fed up with
Estar hasta los ovarios - to be fed up with (very vulgar  and ONLY  used by women)
Estar hasta los cojones to be fed up with (very vulgar and used ONLY by men)
Estar hasta los huevos - to be fed up with (very vulgar and used ONLY by men)

Tiquismo of the week : Palmarse – to die

Below are some phrases which mean to get lost, take a hike, go to hell or even much worse. Be careful NOT use the offense expressions I have pointed out or you may end up in an embarrassing or dangerous life-threatening situation.  ¡Cuidadito! (Be careful!). By the way, many of these expressions are common in Costa Rica, but the locals will understand what you mean if you use them.

Mandar a freír buñuelos - to tell someone to get lost
Mandar a hacer gárgaras - to tell someone to get lost
Mandar a alguien a paseo – tell someone to take a hike
Mandar a alguien por el tubo – to tell someone to get lost
Mandar al demonio – to tell someone to go to hell
Mandar  al diablo – also means to tell someone to go to hell
Mandar a la goma – to tell someone to get lost
Mandar a freír esparragos - to tell someone to get lost

Careful!!!
Mandar a alguien a la mierda – very offense and vulgar
Mandar a algiuien a la eme – same as the last expression and also very vulgar
Mandar a alguien al carajo – very offense and vulgar
Mandar a alguien a la verga - to tell someone to get f**ked (very vulgar and dangerous to use this)
Mandar a la jodida or a la chingada – to tell someone to get f**ked (very vulgar and dangerous to use this)
Mandar a joder a su madre – to tell someone to go f**k his mother (you’ll virtually sign your death sentence if you use this)

Tiquismo of the week – Mandar güevo – an expression used for disbelief. Example: ¡Manda güevo que José no sepa manejar un carro! It’s unbelievable  Joe doesn’t know how to drive a car!

Rajar – to brag. Jactarse is also used.
Rajón – a bragger
Ranchar – to vomit. Botar el rancho is also used.
Ratada – a bad experience
Rayar – to fail a test in school or pass another car on the highway
Reventado/reventada – physically attractive
Roco – an old geezer
Rojo – one thousand colones
Ruliar – to sleep
Sapo – a tattle tale
Semerendo – big
Son varas – just kidding
¡Suave! - Wait a moment! ¡Eperáte! Is also used

Tiquismo – Cuando la rana echa pelos – never. El 31 de febrero is also used.

¡Qué color! - What a shame, mess
¡Qué dicha! - How good!
¡Qué madre! - What a disappointment
¿Qué me decís? - How are you?  or ¿Cómo está usted?
¡Qué jeta! - Shut up!
¿Qué tiene? - What’s matter with it?
¡Qué montón – Big deal! Used to discourage someone.
¡Qué si qué? -  No kidding
¡Qué va! - No way!
Quedar como un culo – To look like a fool
Quemado – A person or place that has lost its popularity
Colado – A party crasher or a person who goes some place without being invited

“Christopher Howard’s Guide to Costa Rican Spanish”
By Steve Silver
Special for Costa Rica Today

Christopher Howard  first became  fascinated by the Spanish language and culture while studying in Puebla, Mexico over thirty years.  Mr. Howard’s latest 160-page guidebook reflects his life-long interest in the subject.  It is a must read for anyone thinking of spending long  periods of time in Costa Rica.

When Mr. Howard moved to Costa Rica in the early 1980s he quickly realized that he would have to learn Costa Rican-style Spanish. Despite having an advanced degree in Spanish, having studied and lived in Mexico and having traveled to every country in Latin America he quickly realized that Spanish was spoken a little different here.  First, he noticed that  there were a lot of local expressions and vocabulary with which he was not familiar.  So he set out  learn all the nuances  of the local lingo.   His new guidebook is the result of almost 25 years of research in the field of Spanish as a second language. By no means is it a complete course in the Spanish language, but does provide neophytes with the basics to  survive here.  Travelers, students, full and part-time residents as well as serious language students will all benefit from the information in this handy book. Howard has taken some of the material from his weekly newspaper columns “Learning the language” and “Short Cuts for Learning Spanish.”

The book is divided into different sections.  The first part deals with pronunciation and has some handy drills to help students sound  more like native speakers.  The next section contains essential Spanish survival phrases you will need for  most daily situations you will encounter in Costa Rica. There is another chapter which shows how Costa Ricans use the vos form of verbs instead of the tú form to address friends. Then there are two chapters dedicated to Costa Rican street slang and useful idioms.  You won’t be able to find most of this material in a standard Spanish dictionary or any other source in English.

The next chapter contains a section on piropos or phrases used for flirting.  Two great sections follow where Chris gives his  secrets for learning  the language.  At the end of the guide is a list of good books  and other sources for learning the language. Finally, the is a short English- Spanish, Spanish-English dictionary.

This guide is pocket-size so you can take it with you wherever you go.

It is available  in Costa Rica through 7th Street Books, Librería Internacional and  Librería Universal. On line it can be obtained through  Amazon.com or www.escaprartist.com.  It can also be purchased in U.S. and Canadian bookstores. Worldwide distribution is through Book Surge.

Mr. Howard has also authored: The bestselling “New Golden Door to Retirement and Living in Costa Rica.”,  the equally popular “Living and Investing in Panamá.”  the one-of-a-kind “Living and Investing in Nicaragua” and  “Living and Investing in Cuba,”  He has co-authored “Driving the Pan-American Highway to Mexico and Central America”  and the soon-to-be released  blockbuster “The Official Guide to Costa Rican Real Estate.”

October 2005