language

In a previous article I offered some valuable tips to help English speaking travelers to Costa Rica (or elsewhere) and expat residents improve the...

One of the most daunting tasks that newbie expats are faced with is learning everyday Spanish survival skills . Most expats do not even know...

Anyone thinking of relocating or traveling to Costa Rica should at least acquire survival level Spanish to survive and enjoy what the country has...

As the clock strikes midnight and the fireworks light up the night sky, thousands of Costa Rican families will have prepared for the rituals...

Spanish can be melodramatic.A telenovela or novela is a Spanish language soap opera. Telenovelas seem to be the opiate of the masses in Latin...

You can’t call yourself fluent in Costa Rican Spanish unless you understand its slang. Maybe you already speak Spanish. If that is true, you probably...

A Father's Day tribute.

In a binational relationship, the person who gets to live in his or her native country doesn't always have the upper hand.

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.