Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

LEGAL TERMS / TERMINOS LEGALES
Due diligence – Diligencia debida
Easement – Servidumbre
Executor – Albacea
Execution of the verdict – Ejecución de la pena
Embezzlement – Desfalco
Encumbrance – Gravamen
Evidence – Evidencia or pruebas
Eye witness – Testigo ocular
False witness – Testigo falso
Fees – Honorarios
Felony – Delito mayor
Fight case – Pelear el caso
Find guilty – Encontrar culpable
Find innocent – Encontrar inocente
Fine [...]

Terraza – a deck
Texturizar – to texturize
Tierra – earth or dirt
Tina or bañera – a bathtub
Toma de corriente – wall plug tomacorriente in Costa Rica
Tragaluz – a skylight
Travesaño – crossbeam
Tubería – pipes
Tubo – pipe
Tubo de drenaje – drain pipe
Umbral – threshold of a door
Varilla – rebar
Vestidor or walk in closet
Verjas – bars for windows
Vidrio – [...]

Radiestécisa or marcar pozos – water witching (locating underground water)
Rancho – a gazebo type structure used for BBQ’s and other outdoor recreation activities
Reflector – flood light
Repello – concrete plaster
Repellar – to plaster
Rodapie – a footboard or baseboard
Sala – living room
Sellador – primer
Sistema de riego or aspersión – sprinklers
Sótano – basement
Tabla – a board
Tanque captación [...]

Madera – wood
Mampostería – cement work
Manija – door handle
Marco – door or window frame
Medio baño – half-bath
Muebles de cocina – kitchen cabinets
Muro de contención or retención – retaining wall
Obra gris – grey work = the cement work for a structure
Pared – interior or exterior wall
Pasta – putty or plaster for interior or exterior finishing of [...]

Ebanista – a person who builds doors or cabinets
Empotrable – built in
Enchape – a stone facade
Esacaleras – stairs
Escalera de caracol – spiral staircase
Espejo – mirror
Fachada – façade
Fontanería – pluming
Formaleta – a wooden frame used for filling spaces with concrete
Fragua – grout
Fraguar – to grout
Fregadero – kitchen sink
Frente – front of a house or property
Fuente – [...]