Costa Rica For Dummies

Costa Rica's Regions in Brief

Before you start booking hotel reservations, you should familiarize yourself with Costa Rica’s various regions and what they have to offer. Refer to this map as you plan out your itinerary.

Glossary of Costa Rican Terms

Every location has its own lingo. Here’s a list of terms and slang that will win you fast friends and great respect in Costa Rica.

• birra (bee-rah): Slang for beer.

• boca (boh-cah): Literally means “mouth,” but also a term to describe a small appetizer served alongside a drink at many bars.

• bomba (bohm-bah): Translates literally as “pump,” but is used in Costa Rica for “gas station.”

• brete (breh-teh): Work, or job.

• casado (cah-sah-doh): Literally means “married,” but is the local term for a popular restaurant offering, featuring a main dish and various side dishes.

• Chepe (cheh-peh): Slang term for the capital city, San José.

• chunche (choon-cheh): Knicknack; thing, as in “whatchamacallit.”

• con mucho gusto (con moo-choh goo-stoh): With pleasure.

• Diay (dee-eye): An untranslatable but common linguistic punctuation, often used to begin a sentence.

• La Sele (lah she-leh): Short for La Selección, the Costa Rican national soccer team.

• macha or machita (mah-chah; mah-chee-tah): A blond woman.

• mae (mah-eh): Not gender specific, this translates like “man” or “dude”: used by many Costa Ricans, particularly teenagers, as frequent verbal punctuation.

• mejenga (meh-hen-gah): An informal, or pickup, soccer game.

• pachanga or pelón (pah-chahn-gah; peh-lon): Both terms used to signify a big party or gathering.

• Ponga la mária, por favor (pon-gah la mah-ree-ah, por fah-vor): Please put on the meter (you should direct taxi drivers to do this when first entering a cab).

• pulpería (pool-peh-ree-ah): The Costa Rican version of the “corner store” or small market.

• pura vida (poo-rah vee-dah): Literally, “pure life”; translates as “everything’s great.”

• soda (soh-dah): A casual diner-style restaurant serving cheap Tico meals.

• Tico (tee-koh): Costa Rican.

• Tiquicia (tee-kee-syah): Costa Rica.

• tuanis (twah-nees): Means the same as pura vida (see earlier) but is used by a younger crowd.

• una teja (teh-ha): 100 colones.

• un tucán (too-cahn): 5,000 colones.

• Upe! (oo-peh): Common shout to find out if anyone is home; used frequently because doorbells are so scarce.

• zarpe (zar-peh): Last drink of the night, or “one more for the road.”