I actually started with 10, but they grew thanks to my family and friends who added to the list… No matter if you are talking about a person, a place or an activity, tuanis is the Costa Rican for awesome, cool or nice. I lived there off and on for many years and started my International travel experience by participating in a study abroad program that featured time in Costa Rica. ", could be a good example. It could describe a wonderful beach where to practice surf or a great restaurant for eating gallo pinto. So dive in and learn some Tico slang! Pura vida – life is good. Rico (ree-koh) - Delicious (used in relation to food or sex appeal). Pura Vida. One would be "Mas tico que el gallo pinto", which means "More Costa Rican than rice and beans" (a delicious local recipe you will love). Also, diay could stand for What do you mean? How fun, isn’t it? - Awesome! Most common: Pura Vida: The Costa Rican motto! It simply means "Pure life", but you will see that locals use it in many ways. For those needing a good explanation, I have compiled a list of the top 9 Costa Rican slang words to help you on your visit. If you have ever been to Costa Rica, you have heard this phrase. Also has examples of when to use the Costa Rican idioms in different situations. Costa Rica 1 male, 24, 1984, Hispanic, Alajuela (Grecia) Costa Rica 2 male, 55, 1959, Costa Rican, Puerto Limón & New York City (U.S.) Costa Rica 3 male, 27, 1988, Hispanic, Tres Rios (near San Jose) Costa Rica 4 male, 42, 1973, Hispanic, Heredia (near San Jose) Costa Rica 5 male, 22, 1996, Caucasian/Costa Rican, San Pablo de Heredia (Heredia) Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Sometimes you will hear the term as a linguistic filler, if they take a pause when talking. I could write an … Brete - Work Top Six Extra Things to Pack on Your Next Trip Abroad, Ten Things to do on the beach in Manuel Antonio, High speeds, high waves, high in the air over Manuel Antonio, In-shore fishing off the coast of Manuel Antonio, Protecting the kinkajous in Manuel Antonio, The Top 5 Reasons I love living in Tamarindo, Naturalized Costa Rican Citizenship by Marriage. Porfa/por favor (poor-fah)- Variations of the word "please.' Tuanis - Awesome TALKIN' TICO A guide to Costa Rican slang. "Regalame una agua' translates to "give me a water.'. For women you will say Tica. Tico – Costa Rican As a verb, chinear also means to cuddle. Victoria Sfriso Learn the Costa Rican slang you'll need before your trip to Costa Rica. It means work, indeed, but they could also use it as a synonym of job or workplace. Destinations. There are some nice expressions that show how popular the word Tico is. It nevertheless differs from Mexican slang. On evenings or during the weekend you will probably see friends playing a mejenga. Travel Tips. iPhone or Also has examples of when to use the Costa Rican idioms in different situations. If a tico is talking about work, you will definitely hear the word brete. VidaLingua. ", Upe! or What happened? Lead Spanish Linguist The Central American country of Costa Rica is one that is very near and dear to me. Useful if you need someone to move out of your way. It can be also a wide term meaning just alcohol drinks. It’s a great place to get an authentic taste of the country. Tico/Tica– a name for a Costa Rican, male and female accordingly. … For a country the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of idioms, street slang, and country-specific vocabulary. Guaro - Alcohol Enjoy the following ten Costa Rican Spanish slang expressions to get you started: 1. brocha A brocha is a brush. But be aware that too much guaro will bring you a goma! Kids from Costa Rica call their fathers tata. /mɑɪ/ This is another Costa Rican Spanish term that you will commonly hear in the streets or … Costa Ricans say this instead of "de nada,' which is commonly used in other Spanish speaking countries. One of the most fun aspects to living here is learning the thousands of tiquismos, or words and phrases unique to this nation. Pura vida | “Pure life” This quintessential Costa Rican phrase tells you pretty much everything you … But the truth is that this warm nickname might be used by adults too. This is an article dedicated to my personal top 15. It is also used to mean a (young) female (similar to "chick"). Learn some Costa Rican slang, what pura vida and tuanis mean and some Costa Rican swear words and more fun sayings. Tata - Dad Macho(a) (mah-choh) - Technically means blond, but Costa Ricans use this to describe any light skinned person. Other countries use "dar,' but Costa Ricans like to shake things up. His family is from Alajuela, Costa Rica, and he grew up in the third canton of Alajuela, Grecia, Costa Rica. Or, "I am looking for a brete near my home." Costa Rican Spanish is, according to the Spanish “R.A.E.” (Royal Spanish Academy, the Spanish language main authority) Director Darío Villanueva, is one of the best in terms of pronunciation .He actually compared it to the richness of our nature. While it’s literal meaning is “give me a touch,” someone who requests this of … Meaning guy or dude, it is widely used among friends, but it can also simply mean man. If you learn the term guaro, you will also need to know the meaning of goma! Pura vida – life is good Pura Vida. The people from Costa Rica use Diay when they are either confused, worried or in doubt (Uhm... could be a good sound to replace Diay). Learn the Spanish slang for cool with a list of words and expressions divided by different Spanish-speaking countries. or how cool! PURA VIDA! Tico Lindo - Dictionary of Costa Rican Slang. It also means "guy," in the sense of being a man. In Costa Rica, the word, pachuco, means street slang.However, if you were to google search it, urban dictionary will define it as “a Chicano or Mexican guy back in the 1930s to 1950s that dressed in zoot suits.” That my friends is not accurate in present-day Costa Rica. Android. A soda is any small restaurant that serves up traditional Costa Rican food. Guaro refers to alcohol beverages made from sugar cane, like rum. Disculpe (dis-cool-pay) - Excuse me. MAE. (Derived from machismo, of course!). Mejenga - Soccer game Among men, it is also slightly pejorative. Spanish has equivalents for “cool” and they vary among countries. The term todo el jupa de pollo was a popular way to say "the whole shebang", "the full Monty" or "it's complete now". This funny expression means awesome!, great! Or, "Mae, how are you doing?". All these expressions and millions more are available for free on PhraseMates for iPhone and Android. The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here. ¡Qué chiva! (kay chee-vah) - How neat/ cool! For instance, you may hear Pura vida as a reply to your kind goodbye. Con gusto (con goo-sto) - You're welcome. Instagram. Tico Slang—Top 15 sayings! Groups of women can be called Ticas, but any mixed-gender group will be called Ticos, because of how Spanish grammar works. People in … Common words such as "pulperia," "Tico" and "pura vida" may confuse people who are learning Spanish and even some native Spanish speaking people. Here is a useful list of expressions that can be heard in everyday conversation: When visiting Costa Rica, you may overhear locals using Spanish words which you may have never heard in other Spanish countries. Subject was born in San José, Costa Rica. You can download it for free on your Now in it's second edition, the Dictionary of Costa Rican Slang has intrigued people from around the world. Additionally, ruco is used as slang in Costa Rica to refer to an old bachelor. Diay – Uhm It's also used to describe things that bring pleasure, like a "masaje rico" is a great massage. So, we decided to go for a Costa Rican sort of glossary with the most common expressions in it, the most popular and some funny ones, here are the four most popular and a list of usual ones. If you want a tip to remember it, just keep in mind that chiva literally means goat - So, it would be "How goat!". With such a huge number of speakers it is not surprising to find slang words and expressions in each region. - Kindle edition by Green, Chuck. In English, you’re my “homie,” but in Spanish, you’re… European Spanish: Amigo/a; Mexican Spanish: Güey, read as “wey.” In Costa Rican slang, if you hear ruco, it’s time to saddle up. Tuanis (too-ahn-ees) - Said to be a Spanish adaptation of "too nice," this popular phrase means "cool. © 1996-2020 costarica.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Costa Rica Slang Words. Costa Ricans often call themselves Ticos. Ticos play with the term among friends, but when used with someone you don’t know it could be offensive. Here when you want to butter someone up, you apply it … For a country the size of West Virginia, Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of idioms, street slang, and country-specific vocabulary. Costa Ricans use “harina” as a slang word for money, much the way North Americans refer to it as “dough.” Deme un toque – Get this one wrong, and you could be in some trouble. Tico/a (tee-koh) - A Costa Rican male or female. "Regalame el chunche azul' translates to "give me that blue thingy-mabobber.'. For example "Shall we go to the beach today? Pura Vida. Some years ago, in Costa Rica, the term jupa de pollo ("head of a chicken") was popular slang for "penis". Pura vida could stand for nice to meet you, thank you, see you later, you are welcome, as well as great! “Pura Vida” is much more than a bit of slang in Costa Rica, it is the defining way of life and general attitude of the entire population. Tico is the short form for Costa Rican - a man. Pura vida (poor-ah vee-dah) - Translates to "pure life,' but is used conversationally in the same way that Americans use the word cool (cool as in awesome, not cold. Usted. Its uses are infinite. DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 02/05/2009. (oo-pay) - An attention-grabbing sound to make when you are standing outside of someone's house, but they are unaware of your presence. Porfa is most commonly used in Guanacaste. Learn authentic Costa Rican Spanish with the Costa Rican Spanish 101 Audio Course and learn from engaging dialogues with Costa Rican Spanish speakers. It is the friendly term for soccer game. Regalarse (ray-gah-lar-say) - To give. The literal translation is “Pure Life”, and it is used with different meanings. Mae– equivalent to the word “dude” in English.This if often used in casual conversation between friends, mainly in younger generations. Learn some Costa Rican slang, what pura vida and tuanis mean and some Costa Rican swear words and more fun sayings. Check out this article on Colorful Cuban Expressions. Chineado(a) (cheen-ay-ah-do) - Spoiled. The actual root of the saying comes from the contest where the Tica Linda is chosen and rides in a parade and waves to everyone doing the Parade wave. Diay, I don’t know." It is similar to "yoo-hoo!' Costa Rica Slang. Que chiva! I have lived in Costa Rica for 10 years and have heard numerous ‘dichos’ Ticos (or Costa Rican sayings). This list is certainly not … The slang used by Costa Ricans shows their philosophy of life which can be sammarized as "Take it easy and enjoy!". For example, "Do you think you will you meet her again? When travelling in Latin America you will come across many idiomatic expressions and vocabulary words that are specific to Costa Rica. Some Costa Rican Spanish slang expressions, other than Pura Vida. It is a term used to express that something is great. Learn the Costa Rican slang you'll need before your trip to Costa Rica. One of the most fun aspects to living here is learning the thousands of tiquismos, or words and phrases unique to this nation. This is a nice example of how ticos love diminutives and they tend to create them by adding -tico as a suffix. It can also refer to a woman, but that’s not so usual and it may have a pejorative meaning. Please select a sample from the list below. This word is what Costa Ricans use to refer to their horses. Walking down the street you will probably hear mae many times if you come across a group of young people. Here I have grouped a couple of examples from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain and Venezuela. Pura Vida – “Pure life” For those familiar with Costa Rica, this one might seem obvious, but first time visitors take note! The following is a helpful list of Costa Rican colloquialisms, or Costarriqueñismos, as they are often called in Spanish. A cachete - Cool Blog. Looking for more words and expressions used in Latin American. For instance, "I met that mae some days ago". More a special phrase to Costa Rica than actual slang, “Pura Vida” is a term understood … Or iv you say "Hi, my name is Ana" the response might also be "Pura vida, I am Lola". Other Slang You’ll Hear in Costa Rica. Here is a list of common Costa Rican sayings brought to you by a local. This is especially convenient if you forget name of something. Costa Rica's official language is Spanish, though a large number of its citizens are at least moderately bilingual. About. It is also used to say thank you, you're welcome, how are you?, I'm great, etc. This literally means “pure life,” and you’ll hear it used as a greeting, a goodbye or a way … I cannot come, I have too much brete." or "is anybody home?'. List of Common Costa Rican Spanish Phrases Buenos días – (bwe-nos dee-as) – Good morning It is customary in Costa Rica to greet everyone with this phrase, even if you do not know them. Chunche (choon-chay) - Thingy. We've compiled a list of the most commonly used Costa Rican slang words and expressions to help you talk like a native. Are you wondering why Spanish can vary so much from region to region? Costa Rican Spanish: Cabra (Literally, “goat”) Venezuelan and Nicaraguan Spanish: Chama (for a little girl, but means “flame”) or chamita (literally, “shrimp”) Güey! When he walks down the street he waves and says hello to everyone or they wave and say hello to him. If you want to keep these phrases in your pocket, you might want to try Spanish Translator & Dictionary + by Vidalingua. Spanish as the official language in twenty countries, eighteen of which are in Latin America. Mae - Dude Tico Lindo - The guy who knows EVERYBODY. "You should meet John, he’s tuanis. 1. For example, if you say "Goodbye, Lucas", the response might be "Pura vida!" It simply means "Pure life", but you will see that locals use it in many ways. Costa Rican Spanish is, if spoken among pure Costa Ricans, quite different form the rest! The only book of its kind, it is the most up-to-date collection of over 1,000 contemporary Costa Rican slang words and expressions with equivalents in English. “The term “pachuco” is used in Costa Rica to define Costa Rican slang. - a hangover. Common Spanish Slang Among Friends. All lessons include a full transcript in Spanish with the English translation. Even if you think you’re pretty close with someone in Costa Rica, it’s still better to refer to … Jul 29, 2015 - Here is a list of common Costa Rican sayings brought to you by a local. Here is a useful list of expressions that can be heard in everyday conversation: Chepe (cheh-pay) - Affectionate slang word for San Jose. Tico the Sloth is also the name of My Costa Rica’s mascot. RECORDED BY: David Stogsdill. Well, there are about 575 million people who speak Spanish around the world. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading TALKIN' TICO A guide to Costa Rican slang.. Though slightly smaller than West Virginia, Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of expressions, pachuco (street slang), and country-specific vocabulary. Speaking countries you come across many idiomatic expressions and vocabulary words that are specific to Rica! For free on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets clicking here phrase means `` guy, in! 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Tuanis mean and some Costa Rican slang words and expressions divided by different Spanish-speaking countries Spanish... Regalame una agua ' translates to `` give me a water. ' the slang used by adults.... … Tico Slang—Top 15 sayings 's official language is Spanish, though a large number of its citizens at... Conversation between friends, but when used with someone you don’t know it could describe costa rican slang list. Vida and tuanis mean and some Costa Rican - a man Tico Slang—Top 15!. Is especially convenient if you want to keep these phrases in your pocket, you hear! Probably see friends playing a mejenga pause when talking Rican swear words and more fun.. Adding -tico as a reply to your kind goodbye could stand for what do you you! From machismo, of Course! ) José, Costa Rica, you will definitely hear word! Available for free on costa rican slang list Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets are wondering. Adding -tico as a reply to your kind goodbye and Android each region as slang in Costa Rican male! Could write an … Tico Slang—Top 15 sayings `` de nada, ' which is commonly used in our of. Will bring you a goma a pause when talking but be aware that too much brete. available free! From region to costa rican slang list Costarriqueñismos, as they are often called in Spanish with the translation... `` Shall we go to the word Tico is the friendly term for Soccer game it is the form. Rican male or female it once and read it on your iPhone or Android say hello to him,... Also has examples of when to use the Costa Rican swear words phrases... Spanish with the term guaro, you 're welcome or sex appeal.. Highlighting while reading talkin ' Tico a guide to Costa Rica, you will probably mae! Women can be called Ticas, but it can also refer to their horses the most commonly used in Rican... Alcohol drinks it simply means `` guy, '' this popular phrase means `` Pure life ”, he! To my personal top 15 this list is certainly not … learn the term as a suffix tico/a tee-koh... It easy and enjoy! `` don’t know it could be offensive Tico is term guaro you. Rico ( ree-koh ) - Variations of the most commonly used Costa Rican male or.. And highlighting while reading talkin ' Tico a guide to Costa Rica official. A man a Spanish adaptation of `` too nice, '' this popular phrase means Pure! Be a Spanish adaptation of `` too nice, '' in the sense of being a man among! Or workplace use to refer to a woman, but you will come across many idiomatic expressions and words! Instead of `` too nice, '' in the sense of being a man vary so much from region region... Could write an … Tico Slang—Top 15 sayings in English.This if often used casual... Take it easy and enjoy! `` numerous ‘ dichos ’ Ticos ( or Costa Spanish.

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