One of the great things about living in Costa Rica is you do not need to speak their official language (Spanish) to get by. It certainly will help, but it is not essential.
As Costa Rica has a high touristic culture, it is easy to find in almost every coffee shop, supermarket, or store in San Jose a Tico (Costa Rican) who speaks English or another language.
Photo by Ketti Wilhelm
It is also common to find people speaking other languages in touristic areas like Guanacaste, Puntarenas, Monteverde, and La Fortuna, where many of the expats live, hoping to get the full Costa Rican experience.
Still, in more rural areas where expats and tourists do not tend to go, it can be harder to find English speakers, so knowing some conversational Spanish will help a lot.
Some techniques that can help you improve your Spanish skills are reading, underlining, and looking up new words, spending time in Spanish Speaking environment, watching movies or hearing songs in Spanish, and participating in language group chats on the internet.
San Jose Province – Photo by David Karr
There are also many Spanish lesson podcasts on all the platforms that could help you out with your pronunciation, which is an important thing to consider while moving to a Spanish-speaking country.
If you are deciding to move or maybe you have already, these phrases can help you out as an introduction to the language:
Where is the bathroom? – ¿Dónde está el baño?
Can I see the menu? - ¿Puedo ver el menu?
I would like to order… - Me gustaría pedir…
I am sorry, I do not speak Spanish – Lo siento, no hablo español.
Can you help me out? - ¿Puede ayudarme?
How can I get to… - ¿Cómo puedo llegar a?
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