🌴
Chapter 6
Local Slang & Caribbean Vibes
Cocles is in the Limon province — the Caribbean coast — which has a unique culture blending Costa Rican, Afro-Caribbean, and indigenous Bribri traditions. You'll hear Spanish, English Creole (Patois), and sometimes Bribri language. This chapter covers the slang that will make locals smile and open doors that stay closed for most tourists.
📚 Vocabulary
Mae/MY/slang
Dude / Man / Hey
💡 The #1 Tico word. Can be used for any gender in any situation. 'Mae, pura vida!' / 'Esa mae es simpática' (That person is nice).
Tuanis/TWAH-nees/slang
Cool / Awesome / Great
💡 Uniquely Costa Rican. 'Está tuanis' = It's cool. 'Qué tuanis!' = How cool!
Pura vida/POO-rah VEE-dah/slang
Pure life (hello/goodbye/great/no worries)
💡 THE phrase. It answers everything. Question: ¿Cómo estás? Answer: Pura vida. Someone thanks you: Pura vida. How's the food? Pura vida.
Diay / Idiay/dee-AY / ee-dee-AY/slang
Well... / So... / Oh! / Hmm
💡 A uniquely Costa Rican filler word. 'Diay, mae, no sé.' = 'Well, dude, I don't know.' Start sentences with this and you'll sound very local.
Zarpe/SAR-peh/slang
The last drink of the night
💡 '¿Hacemos un zarpe?' = Should we have one last drink? It literally means 'departure' — as in, the last one before you leave.
Al chile/al CHEE-leh/slang
For real / Seriously / No joke
💡 'Al chile' means 'for real'. '¿Al chile?' = Are you serious? 'Al chile que sí.' = For real, yes.
Guaro/GWAH-roh/slang
Costa Rican sugarcane liquor (like moonshine)
💡 The local firewater. Cheap, strong, and ubiquitous. 'Cacique' brand is the most famous guaro.
Chunche/CHOON-cheh/slang
Thing / Thingy / Whatchamacallit
💡 When you forget the word for something: '¿Cómo se llama ese chunche?' = What do you call that thing?
Salado/sah-LAH-doh/slang
Too bad / Unlucky (literally: salty)
💡 'Qué salado' = That's too bad / What bad luck. Opposite of what you'd expect from 'salty'!
Brete/BREH-teh/slang
Work / Job
💡 'Tengo brete' = I have work. 'El brete' = the job. Used constantly instead of 'trabajo'.
Andar con ganas/an-DAR kon GAH-nahs/slang
To be motivated / to be into something
💡 'Ando con ganas de surfear' = I really feel like surfing. 'Andar' means 'to go around' but is used like 'to be' in many slang contexts.
Maje/MAH-heh/slang
Dude (slightly less polite than mae, can be teasing)
💡 Similar to 'mae' but can be slightly mocking depending on tone. Stick to 'mae' to be safe.
Estar de goma/es-TAR deh GOH-mah/slang
To be hungover
💡 'Estoy de goma.' = I'm hungover. Literally 'to be of rubber/gum'. Very common morning phrase in tourist areas.
¡Upe!/OO-peh/slang
Hello? Anyone home? (knock equivalent)
💡 Instead of knocking, Costa Ricans call out '¡Upe!' at the door of a house. You won't use this much as a tourist but you'll hear it.
A cachete/ah kah-CHEH-teh/slang
Excellent / Perfect (Caribbean coast)
💡 More Caribbean than national Tico slang. 'Todo a cachete' = Everything is perfect. You'll hear this in Limon more than San José.
Birra/BEE-rah/slang
Beer (informal)
💡 Informal for 'cerveza'. '¿Vamos por una birra?' = Wanna grab a beer?
📐 Grammar Notes
Estar (to be) for States & Locations
A quick review: ESTAR is used for how you feel, where you are, and temporary states. Most slang expressions about being in a state use 'estar'. 'Estoy de goma' (I'm hungover), 'Está tuanis' (It's cool), 'Estoy perdido' (I'm lost).
Estoy de goma hoy.
I'm hungover today.
¿Cómo estás, mae?
How are you, dude?
El surf está tuanis aquí.
Surfing is cool/awesome here.
Slang Verbs: Andar & Quedar
'Andar' (literally: to walk/go around) is used in slang to mean 'to be' in a state: 'Ando con hambre' = I'm hungry. 'Quedar' (to remain/stay) is used like 'to be left' or 'to turn out': '¿Cómo quedó?' = How did it turn out? These are very Tico patterns.
Ando sin plata.
I'm broke right now. (literally: I'm going around without money)
Ando con ganas de bailar.
I really feel like dancing.
¿Cómo quedó la comida?
How did the food turn out?
🗣️ Key Phrases
Mae, al chile que sí.
Dude, for real, yes.
Strong agreement
Qué salado, mae.
That's too bad, dude.
Sympathy expression
¿Hacemos un zarpe?
Should we have one last drink?
Classic bar phrase
Ando sin brete hoy.
I have no work today / I'm free.
Using brete (work)
Todo tranqui.
All chill / Everything's relaxed.
Short for tranquilo
¡Qué tuanis, mae! Al chile.
That's so cool, dude! For real.
Pure Tico enthusiasm
No se me olvida.
I won't forget it.
Using reflexive me
Estoy de goma, pero pura vida.
I'm hungover, but life is good.
The Tico spirit
💬 Sample Dialogue
L
Local
Mae, ¿cómo amaneció?
Dude, how did you wake up? (How are you this morning?)
Y
You
Diay, mae... estoy un poco de goma.
Well, dude... I'm a little hungover.
L
Local
Jaja, qué salado. ¿Hicieron zarpe anoche?
Haha, that's too bad. Did you have a last drink last night?
Y
You
Al chile que sí. Fue tuanis la noche.
For real. It was an awesome night.
L
Local
Buena nota, mae. ¿Qué va a hacer hoy?
Nice, dude. What are you going to do today?
Y
You
Ando con ganas de surfear, pero primero necesito un café.
I really feel like surfing, but first I need a coffee.
L
Local
Diay, sí. La soda de la esquina está a cachete. Pura vida.
Well, yeah. The soda on the corner is excellent. Pure life.
Y
You
¡Tuanis! Gracias, mae.
Awesome! Thanks, dude.
🎯
Ready to practice?
You're hanging out at a beach bar in Cocles in the evening. You meet Andrés, a local who works as a surf instructor. Have a casual, slang-filled conversation about your day, the local scene, and maybe plan something for tomorrow.
Start Conversation Practice →