Costa Rica is one of those rare countries that has their own saying, a phrase that is so infused into the culture that it is used often and in a bevy of situations. Every visitor to Costa Rica inevitably becomes familiar with pura vida, the concept of “pure life,” meaning to enjoy the moment, to be tranquilo, to embody a pace of life determined by the rhythms of nature, and taking a laidback approach to any situation.
Pura vida is so much a part of the vernacular that it is not only used to refer to a concept but can be used as a substitute for many common words and phrases, such as hello, goodbye, thank you, you are welcome, good morning, good night, and more. When someone tells a story with a favorable ending, pura vida! If the story ended badly, a sarcastic pura vida can be deployed. It serves many purposes, and when used liberally and frequently, nobody will bat an eye.
As a foreigner, it can feel a little unwieldy to visit a new place and immediately adopt their local saying, especially if you do not speak any Spanish, but it is perfectly acceptable to throw out some of your own pura vidas if you feel so inclined.
Costa Ricans refer to themselves as Ticos and Ticas. Citizens adopting alternative self-references for either the sake of length or to reclaim an identity that may not be reflected in their current political affiliation is a practice that is found throughout Latin America. It is perfectly fine to refer to Costa Ricans as Ticos and ask if they are Tico if you are compelled to do so.
If you are paying attention, you will hear the word mae almost non-stop when Ticos are in conversation with one another. The English equivalent of mae (pronounced “my”) in meaning would be “bro” or “man” or “dude.” People across all demographics use this word, so it is not limited to a subset of stereotypes. It is also used as a filler word, similar to “like” in English. If you call someone mae, they will likely be surprised that you know it, and chances are very good that they will get a kick out of hearing you say it. It is on par to the prevalence of pura vida in the local speech, and in some cases exceeds it.
Two of the first words people are taught when learning Spanish are “hello” and “goodbye,” hola and adios. But in Costa Rica, adios is rarely used, and the common way of saying goodbye is ciao. In another twist of basic Spanish, “you’re welcome” is generally translated as de nada, however, in Costa Rica they use con gusto, meaning “with pleasure.”
If you find yourself tiring of muy bien as a response to the oft-asked question of how you are doing, feel free to pepper in some common alternatives, such as todo bien, todo tuanis, or a cachete, which means “all is well.”
