Because of the recent uproar about using the caja (The Costa Rican Department of Social Security – CCSS) I have included some terms that may assist non- Spanish speakers (angloparlantes) with Costa Rica’s medical maze.

Ahogarse or atragantarse – to choke
Amígdalas – tonsils
Amigdalitis – tonsilitis
Andadera – a walker or device you hold onto in order to walk.
Automedicarse – to self-administer medicine
Bastón – a cane for walking
Cicatriz – scar
Conteo – a count like a blood count, etc.
Conmoción- a concussion
Contusion – a blow to the head
Costra – scab
Débil – weak
Defensas or el sistema inmunológico -
Dengue – an illness and fever that comes from an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus.
Desfibrilador – defibrilator
Diagnóstico – diagnosis
Discapacitado or minuválido – handicapped or disabled
Envenenamiento – poisioning
Enyesar – to put a cast on someone
Espasmo – spasm
Estornudar – to sneeze
Hernia – heria Un disco herniado is a herniated disk. The verb herniarse is to get a hernia.
Hueso – bone
Insolación- sunstroke
Laboratorio – lab
Me siento mejor/peor – I feel better/worse
Mordedura – bite from a dog or snake
Muletas – crutches
Neumonía or pulmonía
Paperas – mumps
Picadura – an insect bite
Plaquetas – blood platelet
Prueba or examen – test
Ronchas or sapullido – a rash
Sarampion – measles
Silla de ruedas – wheelchair
SIDA – AIDS
Suero oral – is an electrolyte solution that replaces fluids and minerals lost during excessive perspiration, vomiting and/or diarrhea.
Tiña – a fungal skin infection or ringworm
Tocer – to cough
Torcedura – a sprain
Torcerse – is to sprain something
Varicela – chicken pox
VIH – virus de inmunodeficiencia humana or HIV
Yeso – cast

To be continued next week

Tico expressions:

• Ser como la iglesia de Puriscal, no tener cura – when there is no cure for someone. The word for “cure” and priest is the same except la cura is the cure and el cura is the priest. The church in Puriscal doesn’t have a priest or cure because it is in ruins due to a series of earthquakes. It has been closed for years.
• Ser justamente lo que el médico recetó – To be just what the doctor ordered Venirle como agua de mayo means the same thing.
• S.I.D.A. – AIDS. Although this illness is nothing to joke about the locals say that SIDA stands for Solamente Intenté Darte mi Amor. I just wanted to give you my love. They also say that it is the abbreviation of San Ignacio de Acosta.

¡Viva la Revolución! – Long live! ¡Viva la revolución!. Long live the revolution!
vivazo or vivo/a – a wise guy, sly person or someone who always tries to take advantage of other people.
vividor/a – a person who is a mooch, sponge or parasite who lives off other people
vivir – to live, experience or go through something. José ha vivido dos guerras. Joe has experienced or lived through two wars.
vivir a costillas de – to sponge of someone
Vivir a la sombra de alguien – to live in the someone’s shadow
vivir bien or vivir mal – to live well or to live badly
vivir de – to live on or off. José vive de las rentas. Joe lives off his investments
vivir la vida – to live life to the fullest
vivir la vida loca – to live the crazy life
vivir para + a noun or verb – to live for. Vivo para comer. I live to eat
vivir para verlo – to live to see it
vivir plenamente – to live life to the fullest
a un paso vivo – at a lively pace
vivo – alive. Estoy vivo. I am alive
vivo – vivid Es un color vivo. It is a vivid color
vivo y coleando – alive and kicking. Estar vivo y coleando. Estoy vivo y coleando. I am alive and kicking.
a viva voz – by word of mouth
ganar lo justo para vivir – to earn barely enough to live
carne viva – raw and exposed flesh. Tiene la rodilla en carne viva. His knee was raw
describir algo a lo vivo –to describe something very realistically
en vivo – to broadcast something live or to perform live. For example, música en vivo is live music.
jugar de vivo or pasarse de listo – to take advantage of a situation or a person
no poder vivir con algo – to not be able to live with something like guilt
saber vivir – to know how to enjoy life

Tiquismo (Costa Rican expression) of the week:

vivir y dejar vivir – to live and let live
El que a hierro vive, a hierro muere – he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword
La pluma es más fuerte que la espada – the pen is mightier than the sword
Estar como agua para chocolate or estar hirviendo – to be boiling mad

Last week’s article covered the first half of the many uses of the verb “pasar.” The verb pasar can mean: to pass an object, to pass on (a bill), to transfer (property) and a lot more. Here are some more idiomatic uses of this verb.

El autobús pasa por mi casa – The bus goes by my house.
¡Cómo pasa el tiempo! – How time goes by!
Como si no hubiera padado nada – As if nothing happened. In Costa Rica we aslo say Como si nada…….
El río pasa por la ciudad – The river runs through the city
Me hicieron pasar – They showed me in
Hacerse pasar por – El hombre se hace pasar por médico. The guy passes himself off as a doctor.
Ha pasado la crisis – The crisis is over.
Han pasado cuatro años – Four years have gone by.
No dejar pasar la oportunidad - Don’t miss the chance to….
No pasará de los sestenta años – To not make it beyond sixty years of age.
No se la pasa nada – Nothing gets by or escapes him. In Costa Rica we also say Estar en todas or estar encima de la jugada.
Pasar adelante – proceed or come into a room
Pasar al enemigo – To go over to the side of the enemy
Pasar de teniente a general – To go from lieutenant to general. Ascender also means to promote in rank.
Pasar de los límites – to exceed the limits. Pasé el límite de velocidad. I went beyond the speed limit.
Pasar de maravilla – to have a good time. You can also say divetrirse en grande, pasar un buen rato or se la pasa bien.
Pasar la mano por algo –to run one’s hand over or through something. For example, Pasé la mano por su pelo. I ran my hand through her hair.
Pasar las de Caín – to go through hell.
Pasar por – John podría pasar por francés. John cluld pass for a Frenchman.
Pasar por agua un huevo– to boil an egg
Pasar por una crisis – to got through a crisis.
Pasar por or atraversar por una situación difícil – to go through a bad situation or difficult times.
Pasaré por tu casa – I will drop by your house.
Pasarse – to go bad. La comida se va a pasar.
Pasarse de bueno – to be too kind
Pasarse de listo – to act to clever. In Costa Rica we say Jugar de vivo to mean the same thing.
Pase lo que pase – come what may
¡pase Ud! After you! (When entering)
¿Qué pasa? What’s happening?
¿Qué le pasa? What’s the matter with him?
Ya se te pasa – You’ll get over it.

Tiquismo (Costa Rican Expressions) of the week:

Morado – fan of the Saprissa soccer (football) team.

A pico de botella – to dring a beer right from the bottle without a glass.
Añejo – aged
Bebida embriagante – booze
Blanco – white as in ‘white wine”
Cerveza clara – light beer
Cerveza de barril – draft beer. In Costa Rica we say “cerveza cruda.”
Cerveza negra – dark beer
Coñac – brandy
Cosecha – the year of the wine crop or vintage
Debil – weak (potency of a drink)
Dulce – sweet
En las rocas or con hielo – on the rocks
Espumoso – sparkling
Fuerte – strong
Goma – hangover. We also say Gomón or gotera for hangover. Resaca is a more common word in most parts of the Spanish-speaking world but in Mexico they say cruda for hangover.
Grado – proof
Guaro – a sugar cane based drink or almost any kind of alcohol here. When some is ill, we say “Falta de Guaro”..You need some guaro to feel better.
Jerez – sherry
Licor – liquer
Ligero or liviano – light, like light beer
Ron – rum
Rosado – rosé (wine)
seco – very dry
Solo – straight
Tapis – an alcoholic drink or to be drunk in Costa Rica. Jumas or jumo can also mean to be drunk in Costa Rican slang. Borracho, embriagado or pasado de tragos are more widely used terms for inebriation.
Tinto – red (wine)
Una fría – a cold beer in Costa Rica

Tiquismos (Costa Rican Expressions) of the week:

medio 35 – a half-crazy person
mejenga – an informal soccer game. The verb is mejengear and someone who plays is a mejenguero.
Menudo – pocket change or coins
meter la pata – to put you foot in your mouth or commit a big error.

After watching the games last night on Monday Night Football I decided expand the list below for those who have to watch the NFL in Spanish on Fox or ESPN. Learning the vocabulary below will help you understand what the announcers are talking about. They are Mexican and often tend to translate the football terminology literally form English to Spanish.

Abrir un espacio – to open a hole in the opposing line
abucheos – boos (noise)
acarrear – to carry a ball
acarreo – a carry
Aficionado/a – fan
aguador – waterboy
ala abierta – split end
ala cerrada – tight end
alineación titular – starting line up
anotar – to score
apoyador – linebacker
árbitro – ref
arranque en falso – off sides
atrapada –a catch
atrapar – to catch
barra or hincas – avid fans or fanatics
balón suelto – fumble (noun)
banca – bench
buena posición de campo – good field position
caderera – hip pad
campo de juego – playing field
captura sack
capturar – to sack
Capturar en la zona de anotación – safety
carga – rush
casco – helmut
castigo – penalty
cuartos – quarters (periods of time)
centro – center (lineman)
¿Con quién vas? or ¿A quién le vas? – Who are you rooting for?
corredor – runner
cuartos – quarters (periods of time)
cubrir or marcar – to cover a player
defensivo – a defensive player
defensiva – defense
desempater – to break a tie
desempate – tie breaker
despeje – punt
doble marcaje – to have two men guarding one man
doblar la esquina – turn the corner on the outside
empate – tie game
echar porra al equipo or animar – to cheer or root for a team
entrenador – coach
engaño – a trick play
equipo favorito – favorite team
escopeta – shotgun formation
estadio – stadium
finta – a fake
fogeo – scrimmage
formación – formation
fuerza excesiva – unnecessary roughness
ganar – to win
ganar terreno – to gain ground
guardia – guard (lineman)
gol de campo – field goal
golpe – hit
Hacer un bloque or bloquear – to block
hombre en movimiento – a man in motion
hombrera – shoulder pad
hueco – a hole in the scrimmage line
intercepción – interception
interceptar – to intercept
jugada – a play
jugada de anotacíon – scoring play
jugada de pizzarón or de película – a picture perfect play
jugador – player
interferencia – interference
lesión- an injury
línea de golpeo – scrimmage line
lineros – linemen
Mantener el equipo en el partido – to keep the team in the game
marcador – score or scoreboard
marcador final- final score
marcar – to guard a player
mariscal de campo – quarterback
mascarazo – illegal grabbing of the facemask
mascarilla – facemask
Medio campo – midfield
medio tiempo- half time
Movimiento ilegal – illegal movement
muete súbita – sudden death
narrador o locutor – announcer
ofensiva – offense
oviode – football (the ball)
pañuelo – flag (penalty)
pasador – passer
pasar – to pass
pase – pass
pase completo – completed pass
pase incompleto – incomplete pass
patada corta – short kick or onsides quick
patada de salida – kickoff
patear – to kick
perder el balón – to fumble (verb)
Perder terreno – to lose ground
pédida – a loss
primera, segunda, tercera oportunidad – fist down, second down and third down
por aire – through the air
por tierra on the ground
Posición de campo – field position
porristas – cheer leaders
postes – goal posts
postemporada – postseason
Preciso – like an accurate pass
pretemporada – preseason
primer tiempo – first half
primera y diez – first and ten
profundo – safety (player)
protector bucal – mouth piece
protesta – challenge
punto extra – extra point
receptor – receiver
repetición de la jugada – replay
reserva o suplente – back up player
retorno – kick return
rodillera – knee pad
Se le pasó el balón – they threw the ball over his head
Se zafa la tacleada – slips out of a tackler’s arms
sujetando – holding
Super Tazón – Super Bowl
tabla de posciones – standings (record)
tacleada – a tackle
taclear – to tackle
temporada regular – regular season
jugador titular – a player in the starting line up
tiempo extra – overtime
¡tiempo fuera! – Time out! Le quedan dos tiempos fuera ..They have three time outs left.
uso ilegal de las manos or sujetando – illegal use of the hands
utilero – equipment man
vestidor – locker room
victoria – victory
zona de anotación – end zone

Sports expressions:
La ópera no ha terminado hasta que cante la gorda – The opera isn’t over until the fat lady sings

A toda madre – fantastic (used in México)
Dar en la madre or romper la madre – to hurt someone or get injured seriously
Futura madre – mother to be
Importarle madre or valerle madre – to not care about. For example, me vale madre means I don’t give a damn. This term is used mostly en México. Me vale un comino or me vale un bledo is more common here. I have also heard Me vale picha (very vulgar). Don’t use it!
Lengua materna – mother tongue
Madre patria – the motherland
Madrazo – a nasty blow or bump (mostly used in Mexico)
Madrear – to insult
Madreperla – mother of pearl
Mentar la madre – to sware at someone by saying hijo de puta (Costa Rica) or to insult their mother
Niño sin madre or huérfano - motherless
Suegra – mother in law. Here they say the best suegra is like a star. The farther away she is, the more beautiful she looks.
¡Qué madre! – An exclamation of disgust, disappointment or anger. ¡Qué madre alguien se llevó mi libro – Crap! Someone stole my book.
Tarjeta madre – the mother board of a computer

“Madre solo una y como ella Ninguna” -You only have one mother and nobody can ever be like her.

Here is a good Spanish dictionary with pronunciation. See www.spanishdict.com. Hopefully this will help a lot of beginners.

For advanced students I was just given a copy of the manual “Nueva gramática de la lengua española.” It is published by the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española) and the official book for the language

A telenovela or novela is a Spanish language soap opera. Telenovelas seem to be the opiate of the masses in Latin America. The first telenovelas were produced in Brazil, Cuba and Mexico in the 1950s. The most popular ones last about an hour and appear Monday through Friday evenings (7 to 10 PM) on most Spanish TV networks. In Spanish-speaking-countries major television stations show at least four to six of novelas per day. One series will typically run for seven to fourteen months.

Spanish soap operas are even becoming popular in other countries where they are dubbed into different languages. The first global telenovela was Los Ricos También Lloran (“The Rich Cry Too”, Mexico, 1979), which was exported to Russia, China, the United States and other countries.

The final show (desenlace) of a novela typically features a wedding between the two leads, some horrible death or fate for the villain and redemption for the bad guys who were less evil than the villain. The good people are always rewarded in novelas.

Telenovelas have a sociological component because they reflect many real life situations and issues in Latin America. Narconovelas are a new phenomenon that have come from Colombia. Recent productions like El Capo, Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso and El Cartel de los Sapos are social commentaries about real life problems that presently plague Colombia. Some have criticized the wave of Colombian soap operas for glamorizing the life of drug lords and for selling the drug culture as a risk-free entree into the high life.

The Novela is also a valuable learning tool. In the April 10, 2010 edition of La Nación there was an article about the benefits of watching soap operas for native Spanish speakers. According to Jorge Ignacio Covarrubias, the secretary of North American Academy of the Spanish Language, telenovelas enrich and spread the Spanish language. They help increase the viewer’s vocabulary, teach new ways of saying things and improve channels of communication.

Novelas also benefit non-native Spanish speakers who learn learn dialog in a real life context and build their vocabulary, especially idiomatic expressions. This method is free, fun, and not boring. On thing is for sure. If you are serious about learning the Spanish language, telenovelas are one of the better vehicles. Once you have a basic Spanish vocabulary you should be able to get the gist of what the characters are talking about in any soap opera. By watching telenovelas you will be exposed to how the language is really spoken and not boring textbook Spanish. Your ear for the language will also improve. The more soap operas you watch the better you will speak Spanish. Novelas are very melodramatic and visual. The facial expressions are more exaggerated than other kinds of programming, giving you visual clues about the content. When the hero physically throws the bad guy out of the house and says, “Lárgate! (Get your butt out of here!),” you know he’s not asking him out for a beer! Dialog is surprisingly easy to understand when accompanied by action.

Telenovelas is one of several Spanish magazines where you can read to keep up on all of the gossip about Spanish soap operas. In case you miss an episode of your favorite novela, there are Internet sites that summarize the daily plots.

Novela-related Vocabulary

Actor -actor
Actor de reparto – member of the supporting cast
Actriz –actress
Argumento or trama – the plot of a movie or soap opera
Culebrón – another name for a soap opera. Culebrones (“long snakes”) got their name because of the convoluted plots.
Desenlace – ending
Episodio – episode
Estelarizando or estelarizada por – starring…
Final feliz – happy ending or denenlace feliz
Final triste – sad ending or desenlace triste
Galán – leading man
Héroe – hero
Hora estelar –prime time
Novela – a Spanish soap opera
Novel por entregas – a serial
Novelero/a – a person who watches a lot of novelas
Personaje – character in a novela
Protagonista – person who has the leading role
Refrito – a remake of a previous novela
Televidentes – those who watch television
Villano/a or malo/a de la telenovela – bad guy or bad gal.

In the April 10th edition of La Nación there was an article about the benefits of watching soap operas called telenovelas or culebrones. According to Jorge Ignacio Covarrubias, the secretary of North American Academy of the Spanish Language, telenovelas enrich and spread the Spanish language. They help increase the viewer’s vocabulary, teach new ways of saying things and improve channels of communication.

Telenovelas seem to be the opiate of the masses in Latin America. Most television stations show at least four to six of them per day. Spanish soap operas are even becoming popular in other countries where the are dubbed into different languages.

On thing is for sure. If you are serious about learning the Spanish language there is no better vehicle. Once you have a basic Spanish vocabulary you should be able to get the gist of what the characters are talking about in any soap opera. By watching telenovelas you will be exposed to dialogue from everyday conversations which is how the language is really spoken. Your ear for the language will aslo improve. The more soap operas you watch the better you will speak Spanish. Continue to use courses like the Rosetta Stone, www.livemocha.com and Pimsleur but supplement them with telenovelas.

Retirees and others who move to Costa Rica will discover learning Spanish is a life-long hobby and the most effective way to immerse themselves in the local culture.

Saint Patrick’s Day is an annual feast day that celebrates the most commonly recognized of the patron saints of Ireland, and is generally celebrated on 17 of March.

Legend has it that St. Patrick became the patron saint of Ireland for, among other things, raising the dead and driving snakes out of Ireland. In the United States, drinking has been the way of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day since it originally began. The excuse for drinking came from a rumor that Saint Patrick brought the art of distillery to Ireland.

The shamrock became a symbol of the celebration because it is said that the Saint used it to explain the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost or Spirit) as he converted the Irish to Christianity.

Saint Partick’s day is celebrated in many places in Latin America including Costa Rica. There is a usually some type of Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at any of the local bars where Americans hang out.

You will be surprised to know that there have been many prominent Latin Americans of Irish descent. Probably the most famous was Bernardo O’Higgins Riquelme (August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842). O’Higgins was a South American independence leader who, together with José de San Martín, freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. O’Higgins was granted dictatorial powers as Supreme Director of the country on February 16, 1817 and on February 12, 1818, Chile was proclaimed its independent republic through the Chilean Declaration of Independence. For six years, O’Higgins was a largely successful leader, and his government initially functioned well. In time, however, he began to alienate important political factions. Eventually he was deposed in 1823 due to a growing opposition. O’Higgins lived in exile for the rest of his life.

O’Higgins is widely commemorated today, both in Chile and beyond. The Chilean village of Villa O’Higgins was named in his honor. The main thoroughfare of the Chilean capital, Santiago, is Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O’Higgins. There is even a plaque in his honor in Merrion Square in Dublin.

Anther famous Latino of Irish ancestry, some of you will remember, was Antonio Rodolfo Quinn. Most people know this late actor by the name of Anthony Quinn. One of his most famous roles was that of Eufemio, Emiliano Zapata’s brother, in the movie classic “Viva Zapata!” starring Marlon Brando. The screenplay was written by John Steinbeck.

A notable arm of the Mexican Army during the Mexican-American War was the The Saint Patrick’s Battalion (Batallón de San Patricio). It was a group of around several hundred immigrants of European descent (made up primarily of ethnic Irish and German Catholic immigrants), who fought as part of the Mexican Army against the United States U.S. in the Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848. Most of the battalion’s members were deserters from the U.S. Army. The majority of these men were immigrants who had arrived at northeastern U.S. ports, as part of the Irish diaspora to escape the Irish Potato Famine and extremely poor economic conditions in Ireland. Therefore, many chose military service because other jobs were not available to them.

Considered traitors at home there are several theories as to why the immigrants fought for Mexico. First, the Mexican government offered incentives to foreigners who would enlist in its army: it granted them citizenship, paid higher wages than the US Army and gave generous land grants. Others say it was due to the mistreatment of immigrants by their Anglo-protestant officers and prejudice in the military. Some historians believed a primary motivation was the Catholic religion they shared with the Mexicans and sympathy for the Mexican cause, likely based on similarities between the situations in Mexico and Ireland. For many Mexicans The Saint Patrick’s Batallion is still fondly remembered and its members considered heroes.

Mexicans hold the Irish in very high regard. Did you know that St. Patrick is the patron saint of many towns in Mexico? The three joined towns of Melaque, Villa Obregon, and San Patricio celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Fiesta del Torros. The festivities include rodeo events, bullfights, parades, folk dancing, and fireworks.

Here is Saint Patrick’s Day vocabulary in Spanish:

Bagpipes (Irish uilleann pipes bag) – La gaita irlandesa
Clover -el trébol
Corn beef and cabbage – Carne acecinada y repollo (cabbage). Please don’t confuse acecinada with asesinada which means assassinated. Acecinar means to salt meat, dry it and then smoke it.
Emerald green – verde esmeralda
Emerald Isle – Irlanda
Gold –oro (metal), dorado (color)
Green – verde
Ireland – Irlanda
Irishman – irlndés
Irish woman – irlandesa
Legend – la leyenda
Leprechaun – duende or gnono
Lucky – afortunado, suertudo
March – marzo
Parade – el desfile
Patrick – Patricio
Pot of gold – La olla or perol de oro
Rainbow – el arco iris
Saint – el santo
St. Paddy’s Day – el día de San Patricio
St. Patrick – San Patricio
Snake – la serpiente
shamrock – el trébol
walking stick -bastón
Wish – el deseo. Pedir un deseo is to make a wish