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A couple of differences in Costa Rican Spanish

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I once read Lonely Planet's Costa Rican Spanish book and it is a waste of time. The only thing Costa Rican they have in there is "Pura Vida". Ticos have a lot of subtle differences, but a couple you are sure to hear are the uses of ocupar and costar. In CR, ocupar has exactly the same meaning as necesitar (to need). "Yo lo ocupo" means "I need it". Costar means to cost but it is also used to express difficulty: "No cuesta mucho" means "It's not difficult."

Submitted on Jul 31, 2013 - Category: Living Overseas, Network: Costa Rica

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CREnvy

CREnvy

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I'm on my third career in life that of being voluntarily unemployed! The first two were house construction and later hi-tech as a software engineer. I was fortunate to be able to retire early in Costa Rica back in '07. With my wife and younger son we bought land and built a dream house with that million-dollar view you hear so much about. We spend time raising coffee, bananas, and fruit trees. My wife is an accomplished artist and has discovered new media to express herself here including beautiful ceramic mosaics. Pura vida! P.S. Now, in 2021, planning our next move ... to México!

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William Russell
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