Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

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 walls or ceilings
Patio – patio
Patio de luz – an interior patio or light well
Perforar un pozo – to drill a well
Permiso de construcción – construction permit
Perling – Perling is slang for Perfil=C shaped metal studs for framing construction, including;
Vigas=beams ,Cerchas=trusses , Columnas=columns and Viguetas de entrepiso=floor joists.
Persianas – Venetian blinds
Piedra – stone
Pintura – paint
Pintura base – primer
Piscina – swimming pool
Plafón – a light fixture
Planos – plans
Plantel or sitio para construir – a construction site
Portón – a gate
Puerta – door
Puerta corrediza – sliding door
Puertas de baño – doors for a shower stall

Tiquismos of the week:

Como entierro de pobre: As fast as a poor man´s burial
Como soplar y hacer botellas: a task that is easy to accomplish
Como trapito de dominguear: Spiffy, any project to be proud of

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students( this may be tough to understand):

Sorprendida – literally means surprised but in this context it is “a nun that is on fire.”

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 – fountain
Grado de inclinación- slope
Grifería – faucets
Gypsum or tablaroca– sheet rock
Hierro forjado – wrought iron
Iluminación – lighting
Jacuzzi – Jacuzzi
Jardinera – flower bed
Ladrillo – brick
Lastre or grava – gravel
Lavamanos – bathroom sink
Línea blanca – kitchen appliances like a refrigerator
Loza sanitaria – bathroom fixtures like the tub and toilette
Llave de paso – Any type shut off valve for plumbing. Metal or PVC for water, gas, air pressure

Tiquismos of the week:

Caer como San Juan al 24: something happening on a very opportune time (San Juan´s festivities in Costa Rica are on June 24th)
Cambiar la mama por un burro: to make a bad deal
Colgarle el guecho: a gullible person
Como cuando usted era pobre: I´m fine, just like when you used to be poor!

Tico humor and wordplay for advanced students (this may be tough to understand):

Cacareo is the sound a rooster makes or bragging. In this case it is excrement of a prisoner.

Quinta – Small Farm.
Refrigeradora – Refridgerator.
Reforestación – Reforestation.
Renovado – Renovated (renovado total – completely renovated.)
Residencial – Residencial.
Sala – Room.
Seguridad – Security (seguridad 24 – 24-hour security.)
Seguro (seg) – Safe (seg 24 – 24-hour security) (muy seg – very safe.)
Señor – Mr.
Señora – Ms. (P/Sra – suitable for a lady.)
Señorita – Miss. (P/Srta – suitable for a young lady.)
Sin – Without (sin o con, c/s – with or without.)
Solo – Only (solo 300 mts de la playa – only 300m to the beach.)
Sur – South.
Techo – Roof.
Telefono (tel) – Telephone
Terraza (terr) – Terrace or deck.
Tina/bañera– Tub.
Tipo – Type
Totalemente – Completely (totalemente amueb – completely furnished.)
Ubicación – Location.
Urbanizar – To Develop.
Vender – To Sell.
Venta – Sale (se vende – for sale.)
Vista – View (vista a la montaña – view of the mountains.)
Zonas Verdes – Grassy Areas

Tiquismos of the week:

Boda y mortaja del cielo bajan: Marriage and death seem predestined
Botar el tapón: to release your anger
Bueno le dijo la mula al freno, que entre más grande más bueno: to conclude a project and feel good about it

Tico humor and wordplay ( this may be tough to understand):

Bermudas (Literally Bermuda is a British colony in the Atlantic)– In this case to observe people who cannot talk. The correct way is Ver mudas..

A/C – Air conditioning.
Acre – Acre.
Agricultura – Agriculture.
Agua – Water.
Ahora – Now.
Alarma – Alarm.
Amplio (ampl.) – big
Amueblado (Amueb) – Furnished (semi amueblado = semi furnished.)
Apartamentos (Aptos) – Apartments (mini apto = mini apartment)
Apartotel – Apartment Hotel.
Aquileres – For Rent (se aquila = for rent.)
Árboles – Trees (árboles frutales – fruit trees.)
Área – Area
Baño(s) (bñs) – Bathroom(s)
Bello – Beautiful
Bienes Raíces – Real Estate
Bodega – Warehouse (for storage.)
Bosque – Forest.
Busco (from verb Buscar) – Look for….
Cable – Cable (TV)
Casa – House
Casa Club – In house Club or Club House.
Centro – Central (10 min SJ centro = 10 minutes from central San José.)
Centro Comercial – Commercial or Shopping Center.
Cerca – Near (cerca Embajada de Chile = near the Chilean Embassy)
Cochera (coch) – garage, sin (without) o con (with), c/s
Cocina – Kitchen, or Cooker.
Colindancia – adjacent to.
Comedor (comed) – Dining Room.
Comercial – Commercial (property.)
Comprar – To Buy
Con – With (sin o con, c/s – with or without.)
Condominio (condo) – Condominium (en condo = in a condominium.)
Construcciòn (constr) – Construction (200m2 constr = 200m2 of construction)
Contactar – Contact.
Contiguo – contiguous, adjoining.
Cortina – Curtain.
Cuadrado – Square.
Cubículo – Cubicle.
Depósito (de por depo) – Desposit ($350 + dep = $350 per month with deposit.)
Desarrollo – Development.
Detrás – behind (detrás Auto Mercado – Auto Mercado supermarket)
Diseño – Design.
Dormitorio (dorm, dor) – Bedroom (2dorm = 2 bedrooms)
Edificio (edific) – Building (en edific = in building)
Eléctrico (eléct) – Electric

In Spanish many nouns are turned into verbs. Below are some of the parts of the body which can be changed into verbs.

Bracear - Swimming

Bracear - to stroke as in swimming or swing one’s arms and comes from the word brazo which means arm
Cabecear – to move one’s head, nod off or hit a ball with one’s head and comes from the word cabeza which means head
Codear – means to elbow someone. Codearse means to hobnob or rub shoulders with people. Both  versions come from the word codo which means elbow.
Colear - means to move or wag one’s tail or is used when the back part of a cars skids from side to side. It comes from the word cola which means tail.
Culatear – is used when a gun kicks (recoil) and comes from the word culo which means butt. The butt of a rifle is la culata
Dedear – means to move a finger and come from the word dedo which means finger.
Dentar – means to teethe and comes from the word dientes which means teeth
Hociconear - means brag and comes from the hocicón which is an animal’s snout or an insulting name for one’s mouth
Hombrear – to shoulder or to help and comes from the word hombro which means shoulder
Lengüetear – to lick or stick out one’s tongue and comes from lengua which means tongue
Manosear – means to fondle and comes from the word mano which means hand
Nalguear – means to spank which comes from the word nalgas which means butt
Ojear - means to stare at and comes from the word ojos which means eyes. Don’t confuse this with hojear which means to leaf through a book or turn pages.
Palmear – means to pat or clap and comes from the world palma which means the palm of the hand
Patear – means to kick and comes from the word pata which is an animal’s foot. El pie is the proper term for a person’s foot.
Parpadear – means to blink or flicker which comes from eye-lid párpado
Pestañear – to wink or blink or flutter one’s eyelashes and comes form the word pestaña which is eye-lash
Respaldar – means to back or support someone and comes from espalda which is a person’s back
Talonear – to walk fast or hurry. Comes from the word talón which means the heel of the foot or shoe.
Vergear - means to beat with a rod  or hit someone (very vulgar) and comes from the word verga which is a vulgar word for penis. In Costa Rica we say pichacear to beat someone up (vulgar). Madrear is also used occasionally.

Related Tiquismo

• Culear or culiar (vulgar) - to fornicate and comes from culo which means butt. Volar rabo is also used in Costa Rica.
• Jetear – means to talk a lot of crap and comes from jeta which is a slang word for mouth in Costa Rica
• Sin pestañear - without batting an eye
• Estar vivo y coleando – to be alive and kicking