1. A Guide To Costa Rican Slang
This is the number 1 phrase you NEED to know when going to Costa Rica. Pura vida literally means
"pure life". It is a saying, a custom , it's pretty much the country's motto. It encapsulates not only
Costa Rica's physical beauty, nevertheless the mindset and lifestyle of Costa Ricans themselves -
happy , laid back and appreciative of life and its pleasures.
This one I've already dropped on you. Tico may be the nickname for a Costa Rican. A female edition
would be tica, and also the plural would be ticos. Example of usage: "Soy tico."
Costa Rica is not the only country to have a nickname for its individuals. New Zealanders, for
instance , call themselves kiwis, after their countrywide bird.
Mae = man, dude, brother. Although this word provides traditionally been utilized by males, females
are beginning to use it a lot more , too. Some Ticos use mae multiple times in a single sentence ,
almost as a filler word, like "such as " in English.
Chiva = cool. Most commonly used as a comment "¡Qué chiva!" or even being an adjective.
This resembles chiva , and is another way of remarking which something is "great ". However, this is
more commonly used by males, especially in the province associated with Limón. A possible
American slang equivalent could possibly be "awesome", whilst the British slang equal could be
"mint" plus a New Zealand jargon equivalent could be "nice as".
retiring in Costa Rica