Your Spanish course taught you “de nada” and “¿cómo estás?”. Then you arrive in Santa Teresa, the woman at the soda answers your thanks with “con gusto”, the surfer next to you calls everyone “mae”, and the whole town seems to reply to every question with “pura vida”. Nobody warned you about that part.
I'm José Cardoza, a Spanish teacher here. These are twenty words and phrases you will hear in your first week — what they mean, and when it is natural for you to use them.
Greetings and good manners
1. ¡Pura vida!
Literally “pure life”. It means hello, goodbye, thanks, all good and no problem, depending on the moment. “¿Cómo está?” “¡Pura vida!” You can use it from day one.
2. Buenas
Short for buenos días, buenas tardes and buenas noches, and it works at any hour. Say it when you walk into a shop, a soda or a bus. Not greeting people first is what sounds rude here.
3. Con gusto
“With pleasure”: the Costa Rican answer to “gracias”, where other countries say “de nada”. Use it back and people will notice.
4. ¿Me regala…?
Literally “will you give me…?”, but nobody expects it for free. It is simply the polite way to order: “¿Me regala un café, por favor?” — and you pay for the coffee.
5. Por dicha
“Luckily” or “thank goodness”. “¿Llegó bien?” “Sí, por dicha.” Very Tico, and very easy to use.
6. ¡Upe!
What people call out when they arrive at a house without a doorbell, a bit like “anybody home?”. You will hear it more in the countryside than in the busy part of town.
Between friends
7. Mae
“Dude” or “mate”, said to men and women alike. “Diay, mae, ¿qué hace?” It is informal: perfect with friends and surfers, not with your landlord on the first day.
8. Tuanis
“Cool”, “great”. “La fiesta estuvo tuanis.” — The party was great.
9. ¡Qué chiva!
“How cool!” Another way of saying you like something. “¿Vamos a ver la bioluminiscencia? ¡Qué chiva!”
10. Diay
A small word that does a lot of work: “well…”, “so…”, “what can you do”. “Diay, se fue la luz.” — Well, the power's gone. Once you notice it, you will hear it everywhere.
11. Al chile
“Seriously?” or “honestly”. “¿Al chile?” means “for real?”. Informal — keep it for friends.
12. ¡Qué vacilón!
“What fun!” or “how funny!”. A vacilón is a good time, a joke, a laugh.
Words of everyday life
13. Soda
Not a drink: a small, family-run restaurant serving Costa Rican food at local prices. The best place to practise your Spanish — and to eat.
14. Casado
The classic lunch plate: rice, beans, salad, plantain and chicken, fish or meat. The word means “married”. “¿Me regala un casado de pollo?”
15. Pulpería
The neighbourhood corner shop. Small, with a bit of everything, and usually someone to chat with.
16. Brete
Work, a job. “Tengo mucho brete hoy.” — I have a lot of work today.
17. Birra
Beer, informally. “¿Una birra después del surf?”
18. Chunche
A thing, a thingy: any object whose name you cannot remember. A lifesaver for beginners: “¿Me pasa ese chunche?”
19. Mejenga
A casual football game with whoever turns up — on the beach, on a field or in the street.
20. Ahorita
“In a little while”, which can mean five minutes or the whole afternoon. If someone says “ahorita vengo”, relax: you are on Costa Rican time.
How to use them without sounding forced
Start with the safe ones — pura vida, buenas, con gusto, ¿me regala…? — and use them every day. Leave mae, al chile and the rest for when you are among friends and have heard how people say them. Ticos like it when a visitor tries; nobody expects perfection.
And if you want to go further than twenty phrases, that is what my classes are for: private lessons in Santa Teresa or online, built around the Spanish you actually need here.
Rata, sapo, gato: animal words Ticos use for people →
What learning Spanish in Santa Teresa is really like →
Things to do in Santa Teresa →
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