Tico
Talk
The only Costa Rican slang guide written by a real Tica. 101 authentic words, phonetic pronunciation, real conversations, and the cultural context you need to actually connect — not just survive — in Costa Rica.
The guide your Spanish
teacher never gave you.
You have studied Spanish. You can conjugate verbs. You have downloaded the apps. And then a Costa Rican looks at you and says “mae, ¿qué es la vara?” — and you freeze.
That is the gap Tico Talk was written to close.
Costa Rican Spanish — known as Tico Spanish — is one of the most vivid, expressive, and uniquely local dialects in all of Latin America. The slang is colorful. The expressions are deeply cultural. And none of it appears in a standard Spanish course, a phrasebook, or a language app.
Written by Gabriela Rivera — a native Costa Rican and Spanish teacher with over 10 years of experience — Tico Talk gives you 101 of the most essential words and expressions that real Ticos use every single day. With phonetic pronunciation guides, real-world examples, and six authentic conversations set in places you will actually visit, this is not a textbook. It is a window into the real Costa Rica.
Everything you need
to sound like a local.
Tico Talk is organized into 10 themed sections — from greetings and slang to food, places, and people — so you can find exactly what you need, when you need it.
Every entry includes the word, phonetic pronunciation, English meaning, and a real example sentence with translation. No IPA, no linguistics — just say it like it reads.
Authentic dialogues set in places you will actually visit: a local soda, a pickup football game, a market, a party, and the beach. Full English translation included.
Understanding the words is only half the story. Cultural notes explain the context — Tico time, pura vida philosophy, food customs, and the unwritten rules of Costa Rican life.
VOS vs TÚ, how time works in Costa Rica, and the three things that make Tico Spanish unique. Everything you need to understand the rules without memorizing them.
30 must-know phrases on one page, designed to screenshot before your trip. From greetings to emergencies — organized so you can find any phrase in seconds.
Not translated. Not researched. Written by Gabriela Rivera, born and raised in Costa Rica — every word, example, and cultural note comes from lived experience.
A taste of what’s
inside.
Here are six of the 101 entries you will find in Tico Talk — each with pronunciation, meaning, and a real example.
“¿Cómo estás?” — “Pura vida, mae.”
“Mae, ¿qué hacés esta noche?”
“¡Qué tuanis la fiesta!”
“Diay, ¿qué querés que te diga?”
“Pasame ese chunche.”
“¿Al chile no sabías eso?”
Perfect for travelers,
expats, and learners.
✈️ Travelers to Costa Rica
Going to Costa Rica for the first time or the tenth? Tico Talk gives you the language to go beyond tourist mode and experience the country the way locals do.
🏡 Expats & Long-Term Residents
Living in Costa Rica and surrounded by the language but still missing the slang and cultural nuance? This is the book that fills the gaps your Spanish course left behind.
📚 Spanish Learners
Already studying Spanish and want to go deeper into the most colorful dialect in Central America? Tico Talk is the perfect complement to any Spanish learning program.
What readers
are saying.
“I read it on the plane to San José and used it the same day. My taxi driver could not believe I knew what ‘tuanis’ meant. Worth every cent.”
“I have lived in Tamarindo for two years and this book taught me things I had never heard. Finally understand what my neighbors are actually saying.”
“Best $4.99 I ever spent. Genuinely funny, genuinely useful, and genuinely Costa Rican. You can tell this was written by someone who actually lives the language.”
Get the book + a private lesson.
Students who read Tico Talk before their first lesson progress significantly faster. The book gives you the vocabulary — the lesson makes you actually speak it. Together, they are the fastest route to real Costa Rican fluency.
Ready to speak
like a real Tico?
Download Tico Talk on Amazon Kindle today. Instant access on any device — phone, tablet, or computer. Start reading before you even land.
amazon Get Tico Talk — $4.99Book a Private Lesson →
Questions about
Tico Talk
Everything you need to know before buying the book.
Tico Talk is a guide to 101 essential Costa Rican Spanish words and phrases, written by Gabriela Rivera — a native Costa Rican Spanish teacher. It covers authentic local slang, phonetic pronunciation for every entry, real-world example sentences, six authentic conversations, cultural tips, a survival grammar chapter, and a quick-reference cheat sheet. It is available as a Kindle eBook on Amazon for $4.99.
Neither — and that is exactly the point. Tico Talk is not a grammar textbook and it is not a generic phrasebook. It is a curated collection of the real vocabulary that real Costa Ricans use every day, presented in a format that is practical, readable, and immediately useful. There is a short grammar chapter at the end, but the book is primarily about authentic vocabulary, expressions, and cultural context.
No. Tico Talk is designed to be accessible to anyone — complete beginners and experienced Spanish speakers alike. Every entry includes a phonetic pronunciation guide written in plain English (no IPA symbols), so you can say the words correctly even if you have never studied Spanish. The book is useful as a standalone resource for travelers, and equally valuable as a complement to Spanish lessons at any level.
Costa Rican Spanish — called Tico Spanish — has its own unique slang, expressions, and cultural references that are not found in standard Spanish courses or most phrasebooks. Words like “pura vida,” “mae,” “tuanis,” “diay,” and “chunche” are used constantly in daily conversation but are almost entirely absent from generic Spanish learning materials. Tico Talk is dedicated entirely to this vocabulary — it is the only guide of its kind written by a native Costa Rican.
Yes. Tico Talk is available as a Kindle eBook and can be read on any device using the free Kindle app — iPhone, Android, iPad, tablet, Mac, or PC. You do not need a Kindle device. Simply download the free Kindle app from the App Store or Google Play, purchase the book on Amazon, and it will be available on all your devices instantly.
Yes — particularly if you are interested in Latin American Spanish more broadly, or if you are a Spanish learner who wants to go beyond textbook vocabulary. Costa Rican Spanish shares many features with other Central American dialects, and the cultural insight in the book is valuable for anyone interested in the region. That said, the book is primarily designed for people who are visiting, living in, or moving to Costa Rica.
Both work well. Students who read Tico Talk before their first private lesson with Gabriela arrive already familiar with the core vocabulary and cultural context, which means they can progress to real conversation much faster. Students who read it alongside their lessons use it as a reference and find that the book and the lessons reinforce each other very effectively. Either way, the combination of the book and private instruction is the fastest route to genuine Costa Rican fluency.
Tico Talk was written by Gabriela Rivera — a native Costa Rican born and raised in Costa Rica in 1984, and a Spanish teacher with over 10 years of experience teaching students from the United States and Europe. Every word, example, and cultural note in the book comes from her own experience growing up in Costa Rica and teaching its language to hundreds of international students. You can read more about Gabriela on the About page.