You can get through a whole trip to Costa Rica in English. But the first time you say "con gusto" back to someone at a soda, or call out "¡upe!" at a gate, you will see the difference it makes. This is the short list we give our own guests: the phrases you will actually use, said the way Costa Ricans say them.
Two things about Costa Rican Spanish before you start. People here use the formal usted with almost everyone, friends and children included, so every phrase below uses it too, and you will never sound rude. And the vowels never change: a is "ah," e is "eh," i is "ee," o is "oh," u is "oo." Get those right and people will understand you even when the rest is shaky. The capital letters in each pronunciation show where the stress falls.
Hello, please, and thank you
The phrases you will use twenty times a day. Costa Ricans are polite to a degree that surprises visitors, and these get you most of the way.
- Buenos días BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs Good morning
- Buenas tardes BWEH-nahs TAR-dehs Good afternoon
- Buenas noches BWEH-nahs NOH-chehs Good evening, good night
- Pura vida POO-rah VEE-dah Hello, goodbye, thanks, all good
- ¿Todo bien? TOH-doh bee-EHN Everything good?
- Por favor por fah-VOR Please
- Muchas gracias MOO-chahs GRAH-see-ahs Thank you very much
- Con gusto kohn GOOS-toh You are welcome (the local way)
- Con permiso kohn per-MEE-soh Excuse me, coming through
- Disculpe dees-KOOL-peh Excuse me, sorry
When you do not understand
Nobody expects you to follow fast Spanish. Asking someone to slow down is normal and nobody minds.
- No entiendo noh ehn-tee-EHN-doh I do not understand
- ¿Habla inglés? AH-blah een-GLEHS Do you speak English?
- ¿Me puede hablar más despacio? meh PWEH-deh ah-BLAR mahs dehs-PAH-see-oh Can you speak more slowly?
- ¿Cómo se dice…? KOH-moh seh DEE-seh How do you say…?
- Hablo un poquito de español AH-bloh oon poh-KEE-toh deh ehs-pahn-YOHL I speak a little Spanish
At the soda and the restaurant
A soda is a small, family run diner, and it is where the best value food in the country lives. Order the casado: rice, beans, salad, plantain, and your choice of meat or fish on one plate. Costa Ricans order with "me regala," which literally means "will you gift me," and it is perfectly polite.
- ¿Me regala un casado, por favor? meh reh-GAH-lah oon kah-SAH-doh Could I get a casado, please?
- ¿Me regala la cuenta? meh reh-GAH-lah lah KWEHN-tah Could I have the check?
- Para llevar PAH-rah yeh-VAR To go
- Sin hielo seen YEH-loh No ice
- Un café negro oon kah-FEH NEH-groh A black coffee
- Gallo pinto GAH-yoh PEEN-toh Rice and beans, the national breakfast
- Soy alérgico al maní soy ah-LEHR-hee-koh ahl mah-NEE I am allergic to peanuts (alérgica if you are a woman)
- Sin mariscos, por favor seen mah-REES-kohs No shellfish, please
- ¿Tiene algo sin gluten? tee-EH-neh AHL-goh seen GLOO-tehn Do you have anything gluten free?
At the villa
The section no phrasebook has. In a rental house you deal with the gate, the guard, the power, and the people who look after the place, often in Spanish. These cover the things that actually come up.
- Se fue la luz seh fweh lah LOOS The power went out
- No hay agua noh eye AH-gwah There is no water
- ¿Cuál es la clave del wifi? kwahl ehs lah KLAH-veh dehl WEE-fee What is the wifi password?
- El portón no abre ehl por-TOHN noh AH-breh The gate will not open
- ¿Dónde está el guarda? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl GWAR-dah Where is the security guard?
- ¿A qué hora viene la muchacha? ah keh OH-rah vee-EH-neh lah moo-CHAH-chah What time does the housekeeper come?
- Se acabó el gas seh ah-kah-BOH ehl gahs The gas ran out
- ¿Dónde se bota la basura? DOHN-deh seh BOH-tah lah bah-SOO-rah Where does the trash go?
- ¡Upe! OO-peh Hello, anyone home? (called out at a gate)
Getting around
Here is the one thing that confuses every visitor: most places have no street address. Directions start at a landmark and count meters, and 100 meters is roughly one block. "Doscientos metros al norte de la iglesia" means two blocks north of the church. Taxis are red with a yellow triangle on the door.
- ¿Cuánto cuesta a…? KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah ah How much is it to…?
- Lléveme a…, por favor YEH-veh-meh ah Take me to…, please
- Pare aquí, por favor PAH-reh ah-KEE Stop here, please
- ¿Dónde está…? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH Where is…?
- A la derecha, a la izquierda ah lah deh-REH-chah, ah lah ees-kee-EHR-dah To the right, to the left
- Cien metros al norte see-EHN MEH-trohs ahl NOR-teh One block north
- ¿Está lejos? ehs-TAH LEH-hohs Is it far?
In the park and on the beach
Words for the two places you will spend the most time. Rip currents are real on some beaches here, so learn the last two.
- La entrada lah ehn-TRAH-dah The entrance, or the ticket
- El guía ehl GHEE-ah The guide
- ¿Dónde está el perezoso? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl peh-reh-SOH-soh Where is the sloth?
- Mono, mono congo, mono carablanca MOH-noh, KOHN-goh, kah-rah-BLAHN-kah Monkey, howler, capuchin
- ¿Es seguro nadar aquí? ehs seh-GOO-roh nah-DAR ah-KEE Is it safe to swim here?
- Hay corriente eye koh-ree-EHN-teh There is a current
- Bandera roja bahn-DEH-rah ROH-hah Red flag, do not swim
With kids
For families. Pharmacies are everywhere and the pharmacist can help with small things without a prescription.
- ¿Dónde está el baño? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH ehl BAHN-yoh Where is the bathroom?
- ¿Tiene menú para niños? tee-EH-neh meh-NOO PAH-rah NEEN-yohs Do you have a kids menu?
- Bloqueador solar bloh-keh-ah-DOR soh-LAR Sunscreen
- ¿Dónde hay una farmacia? DOHN-deh eye OO-nah far-MAH-see-ah Where is a pharmacy?
- Mi hijo tiene fiebre mee EE-hoh tee-EH-neh fee-EH-breh My son has a fever (mi hija for a daughter)
Money
Prices are in colones, written with ₡, and dollars are accepted in most tourist areas. Pay in colones at sodas and small shops and you usually get the better deal. Locals have nicknames for the money, and hearing one is a fun moment.
- ¿Cuánto es? KWAHN-toh ehs How much is it?
- ¿Acepta tarjeta? ah-SEHP-tah tar-HEH-tah Do you take cards?
- ¿En colones o en dólares? ehn koh-LOH-nehs oh ehn DOH-lah-rehs In colones or in dollars?
- Un rojo oon ROH-hoh A 1,000 colón bill (it is red)
- Una teja OO-nah TEH-hah 100 colones
- Un tucán oon too-KAHN A 5,000 colón bill
If you need help
The emergency number in Costa Rica is 911, the same as in the United States.
- ¡Ayuda! ah-YOO-dah Help!
- Necesito un médico neh-seh-SEE-toh oon MEH-dee-koh I need a doctor
- Llame a una ambulancia YAH-meh ah OO-nah ahm-boo-LAHN-see-ah Call an ambulance
- ¿Dónde está la clínica? DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah KLEE-nee-kah Where is the clinic?
- Me perdí meh pehr-DEE I am lost
Tico slang
You do not need these, but drop one into a conversation and watch the reaction. Costa Ricans call themselves ticos, and they love hearing a visitor try their Spanish.
- Mae mah-EH Dude, buddy (used constantly)
- Tuanis too-AH-nees Cool, nice
- ¡A cachete! ah kah-CHEH-teh Awesome, going great
- ¡Qué chiva! keh CHEE-vah How cool!
- Diay dee-EYE Well, so, hey (a filler word you will hear everywhere)
- Un toque oon TOH-keh A little bit, a moment
- Ahorita ah-oh-REE-tah Soon. Maybe now, maybe later
- Jama HAH-mah Food
- Brete BREH-teh Work, a job
- Chunche CHOON-cheh Thing, whatchamacallit
One last tip
Do not worry about getting it perfect. A rough "buenos días" with a smile beats perfect Spanish delivered like a business email. Try, laugh at yourself, say "con gusto," and you will have the hang of it by day three. If you want help with the house, the tours, or anything else before you land, write to us. Planning with kids? Start with our guide to Manuel Antonio with kids.
