Call Us +506 2289 5125
I learned to speak Pachuco before I learned Spanish. I didn’t have a clue until I started dating a local woman. She thought I was pretty vulgar and I had no idea what she was talking about. When I moved to Costa Rica in 1980, my brother and I started a window cleaning company. Our […]
by Ivo Henfling
In Costa Rica, you will hear the expression Mas Tico que el Gallo Pinto. Literally translated, this means a person is more Costa Rican than a spotted rooster. Does that make sense? Gallo is rooster and Pinto means spotted. Gallo Pinto is the #1 food for the Ticos. It is the famous rice & beans […]
by Ivo Henfling
Any idea who Tica Linda is? You’ll probably say “something like a Miss Costa Rica”? You’re partially right. Tica Linda is the queen of the “festejos populares de San Jose”, but more about that later. This was the start of the use of the word as a designation used by the general population. What does […]
by Ivo Henfling
Costa Ricans use animals quite a bit in their expressions. The tiger is one of them. Pa’l Tigre means not feeling well, feeling sick or not having done well. Estoy pa’l tigre = I feel terrible. Something that is not usable anymore, out of order, esta “pa’l tigre”. Esta máquina esta pa’l tigre. Me fue […]
by Ivo Henfling
Did you know that culture shock is good for you? Honestly, I didn’t either. The other day, I saw this article about culture shock by George Santayana and I thought it was awesome. Problem is that most of you are not in your 20’s anymore, so you don’t adjust as easily as an exchange student. […]
by Ivo Henfling
You don’t want to be called The Mother of Tarzan in Costa Rica, you know why? In the past, I have been telling you about certain slang words used in Costa Rica, to give you the opportunity to go a little bit native when you move here. Learn the way of the local people and […]
by Ivo Henfling
The use of slang in Tico Spanish is just as common as it is in any other language. Que chapa is one of those often used words in Tico slang. It would be helpful for you to understand why someone might call you a chapa. Or maybe when someone is a collector of chapas? What […]
by Ivo Henfling
The translation of huevo in English is egg, but manda huevo is something totally different. When you move to Costa Rica, you will want to communicate with your local neighbors. In their own language of course, not in yours. They speak Spanish. Spanish is a real easy language to learn, if you make an effort. […]
by Ivo Henfling
If you really want to go native when living in Costa Rica, you should learn the typical Tico slang or Tiquismo that is used by the locals. In other blogs, I have told you about Chunches, Upe and some others. Today’s turn is for “estar parado de uñas”. What is parado de uñas in Costa Rica? […]
by Ivo Henfling
Yeah, I know, I shouldn’t use bad language and I apologize for the French. But with a title like “why treating Ticos like shit”, I knew I would get your attention. And indeed treating Ticos like shit is not right. Why not? Well, everything you do when you live in Costa Rica, should be like any good […]
by Ivo Henfling