Vocabulary

While travelling Costa Rica you will have the opportunity to get in touch with the richness of the spoken ?Tico? language (Pachuco). From having a drink or receiving a good advice from some pedestrian or taxi driver that friendly wants to help you out, they all may become an impossible dilemma trying to decode if you ignore some of these expressions.

Here are some examples of the most common ones and those you should know in order to avoid misunderstandings or surprises. But most of all, to have some more fun in your conversations with the ticos and ticas!!!

Ahorita:
Between now and never

Birra:
Beer

Bomba:
Gas station

Brete:
Work, job. Example: Estoy ahora en el brete.

Casado:
Typical plate in Costa Rica, menu of the day. Also: Married!

Chepe:
San Jos?

Chunche:
Thing

Cien metros:
One city block

Diay:
Popular expression with broad meaning. It is the most used tiquismo. It can be used as a greeting, as a critic, but also as a pues, or bueno.... The best way to understand it, is by looking at the following examples for its application:

En una conversaci?n:

Juan: Diay!, pura vida!!!

Luis: Todo bien. Y vos?

Juan: Diay, mas o menos...

Luis: Diay..y por que mas o menos?

Juan: Diay, no ve que me puse a jugar de vivo en la fiesta de m? hermano y diay,
me golpearon y aca voy donde el doctor porque no aguanto el dolor.
Luis: Diay, qui?n te tiene jugando de vivo!!!

Echarse un trago:
Take an alcoholic drink

Fiestero:
Person that likes to go out and party a lot

Fr?a:
A cold beer

Gallo Pinto:
Typical plate containing rice, beans and herbs. You can eat it at any time of the day; however it is eaten most commonly as breakfast with eggs.

Gringo(a) :
Western looking boy or girl; literally (American)

Guachiman:
Guard, man or woman, that looks after cars in the street or after houses in a neighbourhood

Guaro:
Typical alcoholic drink made of sugar cane

Jale or Hale:
It means the same as ?vamos?; it is a request to accompany someone. On the contrary, it also means that you should go, that they don?t want you there. To make sure in which sense they are using the expression, listen to the tone of voice of the one speaking to you.

Juepucha!:
What a barbarity!

Jupa:
Head. Example: me duele la jupa.

Maje/Mae:
1) man
2) woman (more often used amongst young men)

Macho(a):
Boy or girl with blond hair (with Western appearances)

Pulper?a:
Little store where they sell food, drinks and other day- to-day use articles

Pura vida:
1)super, very good (literally pure life, used every second phrase), 2) OK

Qu? dicha!:
That is nice!

Que vaina!:
What a pity

Soda:
Little store where you can drink something or eat a snack or meal (casado)

Tuanis:
Cool!