Lo siento... no entiendo.
We've said it before, we'll say it again: We want this trip to be as easy as possible for you. To that end, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Three people on the trip speak Spanish well enough to converse with the locals: Kia, her father, and Terry
- One of these three people will be happy to help you with anything, or be with you if you want to go somewhere.
- Costa Rica loves tourists, so a LOT of locals speak conversant or fluent English.
- Puerto Viejo and Punta Uva are carribean towns, full of caribbean people; many speak better English than Spanish.
- Purchases in Spanish are really easy.
- Directions are really easy too; pointing is the universal language!
- Patience (with language barriers) is a virtue, and a virtue that Costa Ricans generally have.
- Lo siento, no entiendo means "Sorry, I don't understand," but they'll get the point if you say it in English, too. :)
- The Lonely Planet has a Spanish phrase book that's excellent and funny. The language is easier to learn, and WAY easier to pronounce than English.
Here is a website with some easy, conversational Spanish phrases that may prove useful. Thanks to Sarita for the handy link!
| English | Spanish |
| Jellyfish | Malagua(s), literally means "bad water" |
| Rum | Ron |
| and | y |
| Coke | Coca |