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Chapter 2

Getting Around: Tuk-Tuks & Taxis

Tuk-tuks (3-wheeled motorized taxis) are the main local transport in Cocles and Puerto Viejo. They're cheap, fun, and the drivers are usually very chatty. You'll also need to ask for directions — locals use landmark-based directions, not street addresses.

📚 Vocabulary

el tuk-tuk/el took-TOOK/slang
tuk-tuk (3-wheel taxi)
💡 Everyone calls them tuk-tuks. You might also hear 'mototaxi'.
el taxi/el TAHK-see/
taxi
el bus/el BOOS/
bus
la bicicleta/lah bee-see-KLEH-tah/
bicycle
a pie/ah PYEH/
on foot / walking
¿Cuánto cuesta?/KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah/
How much does it cost?
¿A cuánto me lleva a...?/ah KWAHN-toh meh YEH-vah ah/slang
How much to take me to...?
💡 This is the natural way to ask for a tuk-tuk ride price in Costa Rica.
Lléveme a..., por favor/YEH-veh-meh ah... por fah-VOR/
Take me to..., please
¿Dónde está...?/DON-deh ehs-TAH/
Where is...?
¿Cómo llego a...?/KOH-moh YEH-goh ah/
How do I get to...?
a la derecha/ah lah deh-REH-chah/
to the right
a la izquierda/ah lah ees-KYEHR-dah/
to the left
recto / derecho/REK-toh / deh-REH-choh/
straight ahead
cerca/SER-kah/
near / close
lejos/LEH-hohs/
far
aquí/ah-KEE/
here
allá/ah-YAH/
over there
la parada/lah pah-RAH-dah/
the stop / bus stop
la playa/lah PLAH-yah/
the beach
el centro/el SEN-troh/
downtown / town center
Puerto Viejo/PWEHR-toh VYEH-hoh/
Puerto Viejo (nearby town)
Mae/MY/slang
Dude / Man (Costa Rican)
💡 'Mae' is the most common Tico slang word. It's like 'dude' or 'man' — used constantly. 'Mae, ¿dónde está la playa?' = 'Dude, where's the beach?'
¿Me puede esperar?/meh PWEH-deh ehs-peh-RAR/
Can you wait for me?
Pare aquí, por favor/PAH-reh ah-KEE por fah-VOR/
Stop here, please

📐 Grammar Notes

Asking Questions with ¿Dónde? and ¿Cómo?

Question words always have accent marks in Spanish: ¿Dónde? (Where?), ¿Cómo? (How?), ¿Cuánto? (How much?), ¿Qué? (What?). Notice the inverted question mark at the start — this is standard Spanish writing.

¿Dónde está la playa?
Where is the beach?
¿Cómo llego al centro?
How do I get to downtown?
¿Cuánto cuesta el tuk-tuk?
How much is the tuk-tuk?

El / La (The) — Gendered Articles

Every Spanish noun is either masculine or feminine. Masculine nouns use 'el' (the) and 'un' (a). Feminine use 'la' (the) and 'una' (a). You usually learn the gender with the word — there are some patterns but many exceptions. Memorize: el tuk-tuk, la playa, el centro, la parada.

el taxi
the taxi (masculine)
la playa
the beach (feminine)
un bus
a bus (masculine)
una bicicleta
a bicycle (feminine)

🗣️ Key Phrases

Mae, ¿a cuánto me lleva a la playa?
Dude, how much to take me to the beach?
Classic tuk-tuk opener
¿Hay tuk-tuks cerca?
Are there tuk-tuks nearby?
Quiero ir a Puerto Viejo.
I want to go to Puerto Viejo.
¿Cuánto tiempo tarda?
How long does it take?
Está muy caro.
That's too expensive.
Useful for negotiating
¿Me hace un precio?
Can you give me a deal?
Polite way to negotiate
Voy a... / Vamos a...
I'm going to... / We're going to...

💬 Sample Dialogue

Y
You
Mae, ¿a cuánto me lleva a Puerto Viejo?
Dude, how much to take me to Puerto Viejo?
D
Driver
Son dos mil colones, mae.
That's 2,000 colones, dude.
Y
You
¿Está muy lejos?
Is it very far?
D
Driver
No, son como diez minutos.
No, it's about ten minutes.
Y
You
Listo, vámonos.
Alright, let's go.
D
Driver
Pura vida. Suba.
Great. Hop in.
Y
You
Pare aquí, por favor. Gracias.
Stop here please. Thank you.
D
Driver
Con mucho gusto. Que le vaya bien.
With pleasure. Have a good one.
🎯

Ready to practice?

You need to get from Cocles beach to Puerto Viejo town center. A tuk-tuk driver named Miguel pulls up. Negotiate the fare, confirm the destination, and handle the ride.

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