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If you say no me toquen el pito in Costa Rica, make sure you’re sitting in your car. If you are not, this can become quite a misunderstanding, especially if you are a male. Tocar el pito means honking. Another way to say honking is tocar la bocina or tocar la pitoreta. In slang though, tocarme […]
by Ivo Henfling
Let me show how different things can be in Costa Rica. I am going back to an old theme here, but the culture of Costa Rica is a constant source of amazement to me. Here are a few differences I have observed. In Costa Rica, there are many things different than what we are used […]
Qué vaina is one of those expressions your landlord might use when you complain about a leak in the roof. Or when your coffee maker stopped working and you’re asking for another. In this case, the translation is “what a problem”. But. instead of qué vaina, it is also possible to say qué torta. It […]
by Ivo Henfling
Have you ever tried to pull yourself a cake or jalarse torta? That doesn’t make a lot of sense in English, but it does in Spanish. You really wouldn’t want to pull yourself a cake, believe me. That’s why learning a new language can be so difficult for many. You cannot just translate word for word […]
by Ivo Henfling
When you live in Costa Rica, you’ll hear the word tuanis quite a bit. You’ll hear tuanis used by the younger population, it’s a “cool” word to use. It’s a word that you wouldn’t use in a business meeting or with your doctor unless you grew up together or are drinking buddies. Tuanis is a […]
by Ivo Henfling
Did you know that a rooster is a very important animal in Costa Rica? Wherever you turn, you’ll hear people talk about the rooster. I’m sure you all know about Gallo Pinto (no, not Pinto Gallo Kathy!) and más Tico que el Gallo Pinto if you follow my weekly blogs. If you’re a good Catholic, you’ll […]
by Ivo Henfling
You won’t be able to prevent culture shock by learning how to use chaineado, but it is quite a good start. I have not been able to find the proof that chainear comes from the English verb “to shine”. There are some references that in chainear is also used in Chicano, so it makes a […]
by Ivo Henfling
Some way or other, Ticos are all family. Just like Smith is a very common last name in the U.K. and in the U.S., Rodriguez, and Vargas are the most common last names in Costa Rica. When you marry a Rodriguez, your first born might be number 102,498 of the Rodriguez clan. There is a […]
by Ivo Henfling
If you’re a nice person, you’ll find yourself obliged to lend money to a friend or employee soon after you arrive in Costa Rica. You know, they are poor, and you are rich. That’s how some will see it. Probably, where you come from, you’re too proud to ask anyone you know for a loan. […]
by Ivo Henfling
Costa Ricans are proud of calling themselves Ticos and Ticas. The female Costa Ricans are Ticas. The males are Ticos. The general population is Tico. Costa Ricans use the term Tico every day, just like the word Pura Vida. Why is that? Where does it come from? Ticos have the tendency of turning words into […]
by Ivo Henfling