Product Description

In Costa Rica, it's impossible not to get caught up in the feeling of Pura Vida, 'pure life'. So whether selecting from the huge range of traditional dishes, dancing the merenge at a fiesta, or cheering a toro brava, 'fighting bull', this book will help you get into the swing.

• join in the crowd at a rodeo, street festival or salsa club
• loads of cultural & traveling tips, whether you go by bus, scooter or donkey
• sections on diving, hiking and surfing
• includes Lim n Creole, the language of Costa Rica's Caribbean coast
• music, food, shopping, art & more

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #553426 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 260 pages

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Due to its great ecological diversity, pleasant climate, variety of activities, stable politics and friendly people, Costa Rica is fast becoming one of the most popular travel destinations in Latin America. As the number of foreigners travelling to this small nation increases, it's important that visitors respect the local culture. By attempting to speak Spanish, especially the local dialect, you'll have the opportunity to experience the beauty of Costa Rican culture, and not just use the country as a playground. This phrasebook is a tool for opening doors between you and the warmth and friendliness of the Costa Rican people.

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Widespread colonization by Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries ensured Spanish became the predominant language throughout 19 countries on the American continent and in the Caribbean. However, just as the cultures and nations of Latin America didn't develop in a uniform way, the Spanish language now varies from country to country.

Language reflects culture, and the tone of Costa Rican Spanish, like the people of the country, is straightforward and up-beat yet relaxed. The language is relatively informal, yet polite and peppered with colorful, friendly sayings. Pura Vida is a very popular saying which characterizes Costa Rican life well. Literally translated as "pure life", it's really a more profound concept which expresses the positive attitude of the Costa Rican experience.

Costa Ricans are as fascinated by foreigners and their background as you may be with Costa Rican culture and lifestyles. It isn't unusual to be plied with questions when meeting someone for the first time, and any effort to reply in Spanish will be appreciated. For those who already speak Spanish, this phrasebook will help tailor your speech to the local dialect. Good luck and Pura Vida!

Customer Reviews

Buy a good bilingual dictionary instead
As a professor of Spanish I was hoping to find a good phrasebook on Costa Rican Spanish for a group of students that will be studying in San Jose next summer. I have always used Lonely Planet's guides when travelling abroad. However, I was very disappointed with this phrasebook. Beginning with the explanation of pronunciation, which is basically a guide to pronouncing Spanish with a strong American accent, the book is full of elementary mistakes regarding grammar, vocabulary and phonetics. For example, the "o" in Spanish is never pronounced as the "o" in "hot". There are similar mistakes throughout the pronunciation section. Perhaps one of the most important facts about Costa Rican Spanish is the complete absence of the subject pronoun "tu" (you) and its accompanying verb conjugations, as is the case in most of Central America, Argentina and many regions throughout Latin America. All Costa Ricans either use the more formal "usted" or the less formal "vos". You will never hear "tu tienes" (you have) in Costa Rica but rather "vos tenes". But this phrasebook claims that the "vos" forms are less common than "tu", when in fact the later doesn't even exist there. There are many more mistakes in the explanation of grammar, the subjunctive, "ser" and "estar", and others. The rest of the book is a series of phrases with the English translation. You would assume that Lonely Planet would have the resources to provide better material for travelers.

a taste of home
As a Costa Rican living in the US, I often think of my beautiful home country. This book, by Thomas Kohnstamm, brought back many memories of home and brought a smile to my face. It is accurate and contains many quirks of Tico culture and language that I had started to forget about. I especially like it because it is respectful of our culture and appreciates our land and people. It does not treat Costa Rica just as another travel destination. If you plan to visit Costa Rica you should definitely check out this book.

Travel more intelligently with this phrasebook
I was extremely pleased to see that Lonely Planet came out with a phrasebook specific to Costa Rica. Prior to this, they (and most other guidebook companies) had only general Latin American Spanish phrasebooks. This was silly as Spanish varies considerably from country to country in Latin America. The author, Mr. Kohnstamm, does an amazing job of including the nuances of the Costa Rican dialect while offering interesting cultural insight and traveling tips. This book is perhaps a little over the head of your average tour group or package tourist. However, for those who see travel as a way or life and as an art form, this is an indispensible text. Costa Rica is a travel hot spot and sees greater numbers of foreign visitors each year. This phrasebook will help the reader to respect the local culture and conduct themselves in an efficient, responsible manner while traveling in Costa Rica. I highly recommend this phrasebook to anyone plannning to live, study or take an extended trip to Costa Rica.