Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

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

Bizco – cross eyed

Boca de culo de gallina – a small mouth (vulgar)
Bola de billar – bald
Bola de manteca – a ball of fat (heavy person)
Cabeza de huevo – egghead
Caer en oidos sordos – to fall on deaf ears
Cabeza de pollo – dumb
Casperín – like Casper the ghost (a very white person)
Cejas de perico – thick eyebrows
Cejijunto –having eyebrows that meet
Colmilludo – big eye teeth like Dracula
Como dios lo trajo al mundo – naked or in birthday suit
Cuatro culos – to have a big butt (offensive)
Cuatro ojos – foreyes (glasses)
Cuellilargo – having a long neck. The term is also used for a type of bottle
Cuerpazo – a good body Buena carrocería or chasis are also used
Cuerpo de almohada vieja – to have a bad body
Cuerpo de gallina – to have no hips
Dientes de ardilla – big front teeth
Dientes de maíz – to have undersized teeth
Dientón – to have big teeth
Dumbo – big ears
Enano – a short person or a child
Fósforo – a skinny person
Frentón – to have a big forehead
Las paredes tienen oídos or las paredes oyen – the walls have ears
Meter las narices en lo que no te importa – to get into someone’s else’s business
Nacer por el culo – to be ugly (very vulgar and offensive)
Nadadora – flat as a board (insulting)
Narizón – a big nose
No tener pelos en la lengua – to speak one’s mind
No tener un pelo de tonto – to not be dumb
Oídos tísicos – to have big ears
Ojo por ojo, diente por diente – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Ojos saltones – pop eyes
Ojos soñolientos – sleepy eyes
Orejón – big ears
Panza cervecera – a beer belly
Patas de mono – to have flat feet like a monkey
Patas de yuca – a person with very white skin on their feet.
Pecho de zapo – a big chest
Pelo de elote – unattractive hair
Plumero –someone with wild unruly hair. Actually a plumero is a duster.
Por la boca muere el pes – be careful what you say
Por un pelo no es mono – to be very hairy
Por una baba no es mono – same as the last one
Quemar las pestañas – to burn the midnight oil or cram for a test
Quien tiene boca se equivoca – if you have a mouth you are bound to make a mistake
Ser todo oídos – to be all ears
Sindi (sin dientes) – to have no teeth
Sin cejas – without eyebrows (some women). Snakes have no eyebrows.
Tener más entradas que el ICE or Tener más entradas que el aeropuerto Juan Santamaría – to have receding hair
Todo entra por la vista – everything is seen through the eyes
Trompudo – big lips
Versele el pensamiento – to be so bald you read a person’s thoughts

Related Tiquismos:

• A culo pelado – naked
• Anillo – anus
• Arrugar la jacha – to frown
• Cuerpo de tentación cara de arrepentimiento – a good body but ugly face
• Elena – a small person. Slang for enano
• Enjachar – to make a face at someone
• Feto – an ugly person (fetus)
• Jacha – face
• Jupa – head
• Jupón – a big head
• Maduro – male sex organ (vulgar)
• Momia – an ugly person
• No es la ropa, es la percha – it’s not the clothes but what’s underneath.
• ¿Para qué darle un peine a un calvo? – Why give a comb to a bald man?
• Pepa – female sex organ (vulgar)
• Picha – male sex organ (vulgar)
• Pichel –face (insulting)
• Quedar como un culo – to look like an ass or fool (vulgar)
• Rosca – male sex organ (vulgar)
• Volvérsele la rosca – when a man changes his sexual orientation (vulgar)

Arañar la superficie – to scratch the surface
Bocón – a big mouthed person
Buen conversador – a good talker
Cotorra – a chatterbox
Cotorrear – to jabber away
Dos palabras – a short conversation
Tener mucha labia – to be a good talker
Hablar a gritos – to shout
Hablar a solas – to talk to one’s self
Hablar a todo pulmón – to talk at the top of one’s lungs
Hablar como lora hambrienta – to talk a lot
Hablar consigo mismo – to talk to oneself
Hablar en serio – to mean what one says
Hablar en voz baja – to lower one’s voice or talk softly
Hablar entre dientes – to talk between one’s teeth
Hablar hasta por el culo – to talk a lot (vulgar)
Hablar hasta por los codos – to talk one’s head off
Hablar por hablar – to talk for the sake of it
La sobremesa – an after dinner chat
Lengua de trapo – a gossip
Lengua larga – a gossip
Romper el hielo – to break the ice
Subir la voz – to raise one’s voice
Sus actos hablan por si solos – your acts speak for themselves
Tener pico de oro – to be a good talker or have a gift of gab
Volar lengua – to talk

Tiquismos:

• Hablando del rey de Roma y aquí se asoma - speaking of the devil
• Tener buena hablada – to be a good talker in Costa Rica
• Volar pico - to talk in Costa Rica
• Hablan cartas y callan barbas - actions speak louder than words (proverb)