
It means “With your permission” and they were asking me if it was ok with me if they walked through. My host mom said this all the time when I left for the weekend or when I went to class.Ĭon permiso - My family members always say this before walking through my room to the office. Que Dios le acompane - This means “May God accompany you”. I guess this is kinda like saying “Whats up man” but don’t take my word on that one cause I’m not positive. My host mom also says “Que frio” when its cold and “Que asco"means “How gross”ĭiay mae - Mae is like saying “man” and this is a common greeting between friends. Que rica can be used to describe many things. Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos in a reference to their use of the diminutive ending 'ico': 'Un momentico, por favor' (Just a little minute, please) or 'chiquitica' (nice little girl). Costa Rica Tico Times-September 11, 2023. Costa Rica’s Gentle Waters: 3 Family-Friendly Guanacaste Beaches. The History and Meaning Behind Costa Rica’s Lantern Parade. I have heard it used mostly when referring to food but also people talking about their appearance and with the weather. Get Costa Rica real estate headlines on housing and development industry news. Que rica - Costa Ricans use que before a lot of adjectives. That was what I learned was “You’re Welcome” in Spanish classesMucho gusto is also used in place of “Nice to meet you” Mucho gusto or con mucho gusto- When someone says thank you, a Tica most always says one of this phrases meaning “With pleasure” or “Its my pleasure”. The lifestyle in Costa Rica is much more tranquilo than the US.
COSTA RICA TICO MEANING DRIVER
I asked a cab driver if we had time to get to the bus stop in time and he replied with “Sí, tranquilo” as to say, “Yes, chill or calm down”. Tranquillo - Is kind of like chill or calm. It is made with rice, barley, and milk and is then flavoured to. To give you an idea of the experience of drinking Resbaladera, the name literally translates to ‘slide’. It is comparable to saying “Take it easy” or “Have a nice day” in english but it has a lot more meaning behind it as a phrase and way of life. Resbaladera is a drink so thick and creamy that it is not out of place on a list of Costa Rican snacks and treats, such is the filling nature of the beverage. It means to enjoy life and people use it in place of Thank you and Your Welcome. It means “pure life” and it is very common lifestyle in Costa Rica. Pura Vida - I have mentioned this before. Examples are for chica-girl, someone could say chicita to add endearment like honey or they could say chicitica- only in Costa Rica They also put ito, ita, tico, and tica at the end of nouns for endearment. Ticos- Costa Ricans call themselves ticos and ticas for girls. Most are words I had never heard and some are just used in a different way than I had learned.

These are some words and phrases that I heard in Costa Rica. See He is also the author of the one-of-a-kind bestselling, “Guide to Costa Rican Spanish,” that can be purchased through Amazon.Palabras en Costa Rica Augby Chelsea Gray Tiquismos or Costa Rican expressions of the week:Īndar hasta el rabo hasta la mecha: To be drunk.ĭejar a alguien guindando: To leave someone in suspense.Ī todo chancho gordo le llega su sábado: All things must end.Ĭhristopher Howard has been conducting monthly relocation/retirement tours and writing retirement guidebooks for over 30 years. The red tones on the flag is a symbol for the love, warmth, and generosity of the people of Costa. These skies serve as a shield and also represent perseverance, idealism, and intellectual thinking. ¡Darte prisa! or ¡Apúrate! Are the same thing. The blue on the flag sits on top and at the bottom, and it represents the blue skies that hang above the country. ¿Qué me dice?: How are you? or How’s it going? This is a nice example of how ticos love diminutives and they tend to create them by adding -tico as a suffix. Enojarse or ponerse bravo/a mean the same thing. Salvar la tanda: To get out of a jam or trouble. Here we say macho/a for a person with blonde hair. The term rubio/a means blonde in Spanish. Una Rubia: Slang for Costa Rica’s Pilsen beer. Pegar con cerca: To run into an obstacle (literally and figuratively).

Machete: The tool of one’s trade (figuratively). Gato/a: A person with green, blue or light colored eyes. Sin vergüenza or descarado/a mean the same.įulear: To fill something. Tico Talk for expats and tourists: Part 9Ĭonchudo/a: A shameless person.

Check out the previous installments here. Over the past several weeks, we have introduced you, dear reader, to tiquismos and costarriqueñismos as part of our “Tico Talk” series. You can’t call yourself fluent in Costa Rican Spanish unless you understand its slang.
