Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

The verb pasar can mean: to pass an object, to pass on (a bill), to transfer (property) and a lot more. Here are a few of the idiomatic uses of this verb.

¿me pasás la sal, por favor? Can you pass me the salt please?
Nos pasaron a otra habitación – They led us into another room.
Nos pasaron a ver el patrón – They took us to see the boss.
Me pasó el resfriado – She gave me her cold.
Esto pasa los límites de lo razonable - This goes beyond anything that is reasonable.
Pasar el café por el colador – To strain the coffee.
José pasó el examen – Joe passed the exam. The verbs aprobar and ganar are also used here to express the same idea.
El cajero me pasó un billete falso – The cashier gave me a counterfeit bill.
El me pasa ya 3 centímetros – He is already three centimeters taller than I.
Pasé por alto el capítulo – I skipped or overlooked the chapter.
Pasé mis vacaciones en la playa – I spent my vacation at the beach.
Lo pasé bien – I had a good time.
Lo pasé mal – I had a bad time.
Pasé hambre – I starved
Pasé frío – I was cold
Se me pasó la mano – I got carried away.

Tiquismo (Costa Rican Expressions) of the week:

Montado (noun) – to take advantage of a situation or to bother someone. José es un montado porque se quedó a desayunar, almorzar y comer. José took advantage of the situation because he satyed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Montado comes from the verb Montarse to take advantage of someone. Aprovecharse is the correct way to express this idea.

Throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world including Costa Rica, there is no more important time of year than Holy Week. The week begins with Palm Sunday (el Domingo de Ramos), includes Good Friday (el Viernes Santo), and ends with Easter (la Pascua de Resurrección). Known as Semana Santa, the week marks the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem followed by his death and resurrection.

Unfortunately, Semana Santa has lost part of it’s true significance in Central America. Many people use this holiday as an excuse go to the beach to party and consume a lot of liquor. Even through Good Thursday and Friday are dry (la ley seca) people still stock up on their favorite spirits well in advance. As a result, scores of people die in car crashes, drownings and other alcohol-related incidents during Holy Week. Instead of Semana Santa some refer to the time of year as “La Semana de matanza,” or “the week of slaughter” because of the number of people who die tragically.

Easter Vocabulary

Ash Wednesday – el Miércoles de Ceniza
chocolate egg – el huevo de chocolate
Crucify – crucificar
Colored egg – el huevo de color
Crucifix – el Crucifijo
Decorated egg – huevo decorado
Easter – la Pascua
Easter basket – canasta de Pascua
Easter break – vacaciones de Semana Santa
Easter bunny – el conejito de Pascua
Easter egg – huevo de Pascua
Easter egg hunt – la búsqueda de huevos de Pascua
Easter Mass – la Misa de Pascua
Easter Saturday – Sábado Santo, Sábado de Gloria
Easter Sunday – el Domingo de Pascua, Domingo de Resurrección
Good Friday – Viernes Santo
Happy Easter Felices Pascuas
Holy Week Semana Santa
Lent Cuaresma
Palm Sunday – Domingo de Ramos
Passion of Christ – la Pasión de Cristo
Resurrection – la Resurrección

Tiquismos

I couldn’t resist including these egg-related expressions and Tiquismos. I hope they don’t offend anyone.
A puro huevo – with a lot of effort
Ahuevarse – to be come discouraged or disappointed
Cabeza de huevo – egghead
Lamehuevos – an as kisser (vulgar)
Hombre de pelo en pecho y huevos por derecho – a real man
Huevón – a lazy, useless person. It can also mean stupid.
Huevonada – something stupid
Huevos – eggs but can be a synonym for “balls” or testicles
Huevos pateados – scambled eggs. Huevos revueltos or picados are used more frequently
Huevos tibios – a coward (vulgar)
Huevo tierno – soft-boiled egg
Manda huevo que + the subjunctive tense means impossible, no way. Manda huevo que caiga nieve en Costa Rica. It’s impossible for snow to fall in Costa Rica (On rare occasions a little snow has fallen at the top the Cero de la Muerte)
Me cae en los huevos – I don’t like someone (vulgar)
Me tiene hasta los huevos – I am fed up with someone (very vulgar)
Meterse entre huevo y huevo – to have something on mind or be obsessed with something
No matar la gallina que pone los heuvos de oro – just like in English. “Don’t kill the hen (goose) that lays the golden eggs.”
¡No seas tan huevón !– Don’t be so stupid!
Poner todos los huevos en una canasta – to put all of one’s eggs in one basket. You can also say “Poner toda la carne en el asador.” (put all of the meat on the barbecue) or “Apostar todo a un caballo” (bet it all on one horse).
Tamaño huevón – a big man or boy (vulgar)
Tener a alguien de los huevos – to bother someone a lot (vulgar)
Tener los huevos bien puestos – to be brave (vulgar)
Tener los huevos por el cuello – to be scared (vulgar)
Tener los huevos rayados – to be brave

Saintly expressions

Alzarse con el santo y la limosna – to steal everything
Comerse los santos – to be a religious fanatic
Desnudar un santo para vestir a otro – to rob Peter to pay Paul
No ser santo de mi devoción – to not like someone or one’s cup of tea
Perder el santo y la limosna to lose everything
Se le va el santo al cielo – to forget something
Tener el santo de cara – to have good luck
Tener el santo de espalads – to have bad luck
Quedarse par vestir santos – to be an old maid

Adornos – decorations
Avenidazo – Nightly Christmas celebration held on San Jose’s Avenida Central prior to Christmas
El árbol de Navidad – Christmas tree
La corona – reef
Colacho – Costa Rican version of Santa
¿Cuál es tu propósito para el Año Nuevo? – What’s your New Year’s Resolution?
Deseando a todos una Feliz Navidad y un próspero Año Nuevo – Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
El día del Año Nuevo – New Years Day
El dia de Navidad – Christmas Day
El espíritu navideño – the Christmas spirit
Esferas – bright colored balls for a Christmas tree
Guirnalda – a strip of flowers or branches; garland
La lluvia de luces – strings of Christmas lights which hang down
La misa – mass
Las luces navideñas – Christmas light Una sarta de luces navideñas – a string of lights
El muérdago – mistletoe
Navidad – Christmas
Navideño – Christmas (adjective)
La Nochebuena or víspera de Navidad – Christmas eve
Nochevieja or víspera de Año Nuevo– New Year’s Eve
La nuez moscara – nutmeg
El pesebre – manger
El oropel – tinsel
El portal, nacimiento or pasito – Natvity scene
El propósito – New Years resolution
Recibir el Año Nuevo – to see in the new year
Rompope – is an eggnog-like drink made with eggs, milk, and vanilla flavoring
El reno – reindeer
Los Reyes Magos – the wise men
La tarjeta de Navidad – Chrstmas card
El trineo – sled
El villancico – Christmas carol
¡Qué el Año Nuevo le traiga salud, alegría y prosperidad – May the New Year bring you health, happiness, and prosperity

Tiquismos of the week:

Año Nuevo, mujer nueva – A new year, a new woman
Lo que hice en mi año, no me hace daño – What I did in the past doesn’t affect me know

A person who lends his name – Testaferro
Absolve – Absolver
Accusation – Denuncia
Accused person – Acusado
Accuser – Denunciante
Alibi – Coartada
Alimony – Pensión alimenticia
Appeal – Apelación
Appearance in court – Comparecencia
Acquit – Sobreseer, encontrar inocente
Arrest warrant. – Orden de captura, orden de aprensión, orden de arresto
Attach assets – Embargar/enganchar
Bar – Colegio de Abogados (Costa Rican equivalent)
Bail – Fianza
Beyond a reasonable doubt – Más allá de una duda razonable
Case – Caso
Civil code – Código civil
Civil law – Derecho civil
Common property (in a divorce) – Bienes comunes
Contract – Contrato -
Copyright – Derechos de autor

Tiquismos of the week:

Darse con una piedra en el pecho: be grateful for what you have
Dejar enterrado el ombligo: to miss the place your belly button was buried (to miss home)
De la calle vendrá quien de la casa te echará: be aware of so-called friends that might kick you out from your own home
De las aguas mansas, líbrame Dios: God save me from the meek

agradecido (por) — thankful (for)
el arándano rojo — cranberry
El camote – yam
la cazuela — casserole
la cena — dinner
comer — to eat
la calabaza — squash (the same Spanish terms also are used for other related plants)
el Día de Acción de Gracias — Thanksgiving
la familia — family
el fútbol americano — American football (not soccer)
gluglú gluglú — gobble gobble (turkey sound)
Gluglutear – to gobble
las gracias — thanks
el indio, la india, el/la indígena americano/a — American Indian, native American
el maíz — corn
la mazorca de maíz — corn on the cob
noviembre — November
el otoño — autumn, fall
el pavo — turkey
el panecillo — dinner roll
los parientes — relatives
el pastel (o la tarta) de calabaza — pumpkin pie
el peregrino — pilgrim
el puré de papas — mashed potatoes
el relleno — stuffing, turkey dressing
la salsa de carne — gravy
las sobras, los restos — leftovers
trinchar – to carve a turkey
trinchante – carving knife
las verduras — vegetables

Related Tico expresion s of the week

Camote – yam or crazy in pachuco
Las pavas tirándole a las escopetas: the disciples teaching the master
Jamar o monchar in Costa Rica is to eat
Chompipe – Turkey in Costa Rica
Pavón – a wild turkey

More Expressions of the week:

Pavo – Correct Spanish word for turkey
Guajolote – Turkey in Mexico also a person with a double chin in Mexico
Sólo los guajolotes mueren la víspera – What will happen will happen