I giggle and gasp as I discover these misunderstandings, or when I hear phrases that are normal to Spanish speakers but sound funny to me. Life would be less interesting without them.
Choteo, verbal play to take someone down a peg, has a central role in Costa Rican culture and language. It also presents a challenge to those trying to break new ground.
Costa Ricans, looking down the street to see their bus approaching, might say, “Allí viene la nave” – “there comes my boat.” The first time I heard my husband say this, years ago, I was charmed, and I have thought of the city’s buses that way ever since.
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, inaugurated this Monday the new offices of the American giant Google in that Central American country, which...
