... Spanish Survival Course (Lesson 1 of 4) ...
by Infocostarica Staff

Costa Rica is a great place to learn Spanish, because Ticos have a clear pronunciation and they don't speak as fast as other Latin Americans. There are numerous language schools in Costa Rica, which vary in price, emphasis and location (urban or rural); however, even if you don't want to attend one of these institutions, you should still know the basics. Although many middle and upper class Ticos speak some degree of English, you never know when you'll be in a situation when you'll need to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your language.

Pronunciation in Spanish, as it is in other languages is very straightforward, and it doesn't vary like in English (in English you pronounce the "a" differently in "bat" than in "bake", for example). Basic pronunciation is extremely important because it can alter the meaning of the words or it can make your message totally incomprehensible. The basic sounds that you must learn are the vowels: 

A as in "bat" 
E as in "sell" 
I as in "ring" 
O as in "sort" 
U as in "rule"

 For instance, how would you pronounce the following words? alimento
- asiento
- batear
- oso
- miedoso
- burro
- mula
- miedo
- suelo
- gracioso
- sentimiento
- aulas

There are two consonants that cause English-speakers much trouble in Spanish. They are the "j" and and "h" letters. The "h" is silent in Spanish, so instead of pronouncing it in "hamburguesa", one would say "amburguesa" (it's written with an H, though). The "j" is pronounced like the English "h", so the Costa Rican beach "Jaco" is pronounced as if it were written "Haco" in English. Practice pronouncing the following words: Javier- hombre- hierba- joven- hongo- hasta luego.

Also worthy of mention are the ñ which is roughly pronounced as a "ni", so año would be pronounced anio; the "y" and "ll" which are roughly equivalent to something between "dz" and "sh", much like the first letter of giant or gigolo.

And last but not least the horror of the english speakers, a consonant that foreigners that have live in Costa Rica for years still get wrong, probably because it's just a nuance and whichever way you pronounce it it is understandable:  the "r"  which in Spanish is rattled.

After acquiring the elementary knowledge of Spanish pronunciation, you can move on to the basic words that are used in any language:

Yes: sí 
No: no 
Please: por favor 
Thank you:gracias 
You're welcome:de nada 
Here: aquí 
There: allí
What: qué 
Where: dónde 
When: cuando 
How much: cuanto 
This: esto 
That: eso 
Today: hoy 
Tomorrow: mañana 
Yesterday: ayer 
Hello: hola 
Goodbye: adiós 
See you later: hasta luego 
Good: bueno 
Bad: malo 
And: y

There are some important greetings and phrases that are also essential:  Good morning: buenos días 
Good afternoon: buenas tardes 
Good night: buenas noches 
Excuse me: Con permiso 
How are you?: Como está? 
Fine, thanks: bien, gracias 
My name is: mi nombre es... 
What is your name?: cual es su nombre? 
Do you speak English?: usted habla inglés? 
I don't speak Spanish: no hablo español 
I don't understand: no entiendo 
Slower, please: más despacio, por favor

In order to learn these few words and phrases, it's important to practice or to try to apply them. Try saying these phrases, without looking at the previous paragraphs!

1. Good morning, how are you? 
2. I don't speak Spanish, do you speak English?
3. What is your name? My name is...
4. Good afternoon, how are you?
5. Bad 
6.Today? No, tomorrow.
7. Where and when?
8. How much. This.

As you could probably tell from this easy practice, learning the basic words and phrases in Spanish is like learning them in any language- it requires memorization and lots or practice. A good idea for memorizing these terms, is to write them on pieces of paper and stick them on places where you spend a lot of time, like the kitchen, the bathroom or the office. Try a group of twenty words per week, and in about three weeks, you will have mastered them. 

To continue with the second lesson (Lesson 2) click here.