In Costa Rica it is difficult to “keep your bearings” since street signs are few and far between and most houses don’t have numbered addresses. Memorize the Spanish survival phrases below and you should be able to find your way around, located addresses and hopefully not get lost.
¿A qué distancia queda…? – How far
Below are some phrases which mean to get lost, take a hike, go to hell or even much worse. Be careful NOT use the offense expressions I have pointed out or you may end up in an embarrassing or dangerous life-threatening situation. ¡Cuidadito! (Be careful!). By the way, many of these expressions are common in Costa Rica, but the locals
Slang is often referred to as “Street” or Colloquial Spanish.
If your goal is to speak the language fluently and understand native speakers, you should study the expressions I have listed below.
Hablar por los codos – to be very talkative.
Vender gato por liebre – to cheat or deceive.
Meter
You may find it hard to believe that there is almost as much difference between the Spanish you learn in school and the Spanish spoken in everyday life, as there is between Spanish and English.
Many students spend years studying Spanish in a formal setting only to find they cannot understand native Spanish speakers. Spanish like English has become
If your goal is to speak Spanish fluently, sooner or later you will have to know the names of all of the parts of a house.
The survival vocabulary below is especially useful if you are currently living or plan to reside in a Spanish speaking country. Undoubtedly, you will have to use some of these phrases in order to communicate with Spanish speaking
