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Se Habla Espanol?
Do You Speak Spanish?
Do you have to learn Spanish to travel to Costa Rica?
You don't have to learn Spanish, but of course it helps!
Many establishments in Costa Rica cater to tourists and have employees who speak English. You will find that most restaurants have bilingual menus. English is a required subject in schools and many Ticos (Ticos = Costa Ricans) seem happy to practice English with you, however not everyone speaks it, so kindly ask, Se habla Ingles? (Do you speak English?).
Ticos will appreciate any attempts you make to speak their language. Learn a few greetings (Como se llamo? What is your name?) and simple phrases in Spanish. Buy a phrase book and take it with you. Consider it a challenge and an adventure to find ways to communicate!
Sharon and I tried everywhere we went to speak Spanish. Luckily for those having to listen to us butcher their native tongue, someone would be around who spoke English and we would figure out what we needed or got what we wanted fairly easily. Charades is also helpful for the linguistically challenged.
Keep in mind, as a tourist you are a walking dollar sign. Therefore, any and all attempts will be made to accommodate you in hopes you will spend money at their place of business. Of course, being an ugly American does not further your cause no matter how much money you have. With prices in Costa Rica being quite affordable we were always happy to oblige and do business with those who treated us kindly.
Budget Rent-A-car in San Jose is a great example of rewarding friendly service. We arrived before they opened at 7am (yes, really!) and the staff was so nice; bringing us to their breakroom and giving us coffee that was 'mucho good' until they were ready to open for business. Employees took turns chatting with us and giving us advice on where to go visit. This interaction gave us a wonderful first impression of the warmth of Costa Rica. It was also here that we filmed Sharon giving her blooper sound bite 'by the way, learn Spanish!' We just felt at a loss on how to communicate more with our friendly hosts. As a result, we have arranged discounted car rental rates through Budget and look forward to seeing them all again in 2007.
General Words in Spanish:
http://www.smartphrase.com/Spanish/sp_general_words_phr.shtml
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