It is always helpful to know some phrases in the language of the country you are traveling to, but in Costa Rica we found it was almost essential when it came to road signs. Here is a brief guide to some helpful Spanish phrases and common road signs you might see along the way.
Hello – Hola (Oh-la)
Good morning – Buenos días (booEHN-os DEE-as)
Good afternoon – Buenas tardes (booEHN-as TAR-dehs)
Good night – Buenas noches (booEHN-as NO-chehs)
Bye – Adiós (ah-dee-OHS)
See you later – Hasta luego (AHS-ta looEH-go)
Have a good day! – Tenga un buen día! (tang-ga oo-n booEHN dee-ah)
Yes – Si (See)
No – No
Please – Por favor (pohr fah-VOR)
Thank you – Gracias (gra-SEE-ahs)
Thank you very much – Muchas gracias (moo-chahs gra-SEE-ahs)
You’re welcome – De nada (deh NA-da)
Excuse me – Con permiso (kohn pehr-MEE-soh) Use if you need to squeeze by somebody.
Pardon me – Perdóname (pehr-DOH-nah-meh) Use if you accidentally bump into someone.
I’m sorry – Lo siento (low see-EHN-to)
How are you? – Cómo estás? (KOH-moh ehs-TA)
Fine – Bien (bee-en)
Bad – Malo (mahl-o)
What is your name? – Cómo se llama? (KOH-moh seh JA-mah)
My name is – Mi nombre es (me nu-om-ber-ay ess)
Nice to meet you – Mucho gusto (MOO-choh GOOS-toh)
Where is the… ? – Dónde está … ? (Dohn-day eh-stah) Insert what you are looking for: hotel, market, beach, etc.
Do you speak… (English) ? – Hablas inglés? (a-blah een-glis)
I don’t speak Spanish – No hablo español (no a-blo es-pan-yol)
I don’t understand – No entiendo (no en-tee-en-doh)
Help! –Auxilio! (AH-oox-eel-ee-oh)
ROAD SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
ALTO: STOP
CEDA EL PASO: YIELD
CRUCE DE FAUNA: ANIMAL CROSSING
DESPACIO: SLOW
UNA VIA ADELANTE: ONE LANE AHEAD
PUENTE AGOSTO: NARROW BRIDGE
VELOCIDAD MAXIMA: SPEED LIMIT
NO ESTACIONAR: NO PARKING
DESVIO: DETOUR
NO HAY PASO: DO NOT ENTER
NO VIRAR EN U: NO U TURNS
CALLE SIN SALIDA: DEAD END
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