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| INTRODUCTION |
| Carlos: What a hard worker! Bienvenidos. Welcome to spanishpod101.com, my name is Carlos and I am joined here by Natalia. Nati ¿cómo va todo? |
| Natalia: Todo bien por dicha, Carlos. Good to see you again. |
| Carlos: Nati, the pleasure is always mine. |
| Natalia: Oh I know, thank you Carlos. Well, today we have the 6th lesson of our Costa Rican Spanish series. But I think it’s going to be a really good lesson today. |
| Carlos: Really? |
| Natalia: Yes in today’s lesson, we are talking about work, jobs, occupations, professions. I mean this is pretty universal stuff here, don’t you think. |
| Carlos: Sin duda. No doubt Natie. Everybody has got a work. |
| Natalia: We do. And in today’s conversation, Luis and Alejandro are talking about their jobs and what brought Alejandro to Costa Rica. |
| Carlos: It sounds like the conversation I can relate to. I mean this situation is nothing out of the ordinary. I mean you know what I am saying. |
| Natalia: That is what I was just saying. I think it’s pretty easy to sympathize with the characters in this conversation. |
| Carlos: Right on. |
| Natalia: All right, now to get us started off here, as we always do, let’s go back to newbie lesson 6. In that lesson, we heard the following conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| DIEGO: ¿Por qué estas en Ecuador? |
| ANN: Yo estoy en Ecuador para trabajar. |
| DIEGO: ¿Qué tipo de trabajo tienes? |
| ANN: Yo soy bióloga. |
| DIEGO: ¡Ah, eres científica! |
| Carlos: This time with the translation. Ahora incluiremos la traducción. |
| DIEGO: ¿Por qué estas en Ecuador? Why are you in Ecuador? |
| ANN: Yo estoy en Ecuador para trabajar. I am in Ecuador to work. |
| DIEGO: ¿Qué tipo de trabajo tienes? What kind of job do you have? |
| ANN: Yo soy bióloga. I am a biologist. |
| DIEGO: ¡Ah, eres científica! Ah you are a scientist. |
| Carlos: So that conversation will be understood just about anywhere in the Spanish speaking world right. I mean it takes place in Ecuador but the language they are using is pretty much standard. |
| Natalia: Exactly but now let’s hear what it sounds like here in Costa Rica. In particular, using some words and phrases that you pretty much only find here. |
| DIALOGUE - COSTA RICAN |
| LUIS: ¿Qué haces en Costa Rica? |
| ALEJANDRA: Estoy breteando aquí. |
| LUIS: ¿Y en qué breteas? |
| ALEJANDRA: Soy bióloga. |
| LUIS: ¡Qué verde! |
| Carlos: Once again slowly. Una vez más, esta vez lentamente. |
| LUIS: ¿Qué haces en Costa Rica? |
| ALEJANDRA: Estoy breteando aquí. |
| LUIS: ¿Y en qué breteas? |
| ALEJANDRA: Soy bióloga. |
| LUIS: ¡Qué verde! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Natalia: So now we can get a sense of what Costa Rican Spanish sounds like. |
| Carlos: Right. Here we have two conversations with slight but really important differences. Natie, where do you think we should begin? |
| Natalia: Well Carlos, the first difference is the weather question, why are you in Ecuador was rendering Costa Rican Spanish. |
| Carlos: Now it sounds like good place to me. How was this constructed in our Costa Rican conversation? |
| Natalia: ¿Qué haces en Costa Rica? |
| Carlos: What are you doing in Costa Rica? Now in newbie lesson 6, this is what we heard ¿Por qué estas en Ecuador? |
| Natalia: So the standard version would definitely be understood in Costa Rica. However it’s a little direct I mean Diego asked Ann like why are you here. It almost sounds suspicious. |
| Carlos: Yeah I can see that. I mean in the Costa Rican version, the expression sounds a little more casual. I mean ¿Qué haces en Costa Rica? |
| Natalia: Yes it’s simply another way that the regional question can be asked. It’ s a little more specific and a little less direct. |
| Carlos: Right on, it does make sense. And how exactly are we forming this question? |
| Natalia: Well that’s easy. We are just using the interrogative adverb “qué” which means what and the verb “hacer” which can mean either to do or to make. |
| Carlos: Right and this form of the verb “haces” that’s the second person singular, the to form right? |
| Natalia: You got it Carlos. So again instead of asking in a very different way. |
| Carlos: ¿Por qué estas en Ecuador? |
| Natalia: You might be better off smoothing this out by asking “¿Qué haces en Ecuador?” |
| Carlos: What are you doing in Ecuador? Natie, would you say this phrase is proper to Costa Rica? |
| Natalia: No Carlos, “¿Qué haces?”, what are you doing? This is a very common phrase that will be understood anywhere in the Spanish speaking world. |
| Carlos: No doubt. So you’ve just provided us with another option and you know what, this is the key. You know it allows you to change things up a bit and not sound like you are repeating expression that you learned from a dusty textbook. |
| Natalia: Carlos, ¿qué haces en Costa Rica? |
| Carlos: Disfrutando el sol, las playas y la tranquilidad. Enjoying the sun, the beaches and the relaxation. |
| Natalia: La buena vida y la poca vergüenza. |
| Carlos: Natie, what does that mean? |
| Natalia: Should I tell you, should I not? |
| Carlos: You should because you know, I get all happy and enthusiastic that I can say something complicated like “tranquilidad” and then suddenly you come out with some stuff from left field. |
| Natalia: Well, it means you are enjoying the good life without any shame about it. |
| Carlos: Okay, okay yeah it’s a good one but hold on “La buena vida y la poca vergüenza”. |
| Natalia: Yeay Carlos, you got it. |
| Carlos: Okay actually Natie, you are telling me “buen trabajo” good work is a really good segway into the next difference in the conversations. |
| Natalia: How so? |
| Carlos: In the conversation of newbie lesson 6, Ann tells Diego, I am in Ecuador to work and here is what it sounded like |
| Natalia: Yo estoy en Ecuador para trabajar. |
| Carlos: Natie, how is this question asked in our Costa Rican conversation. |
| Natalia: Estoy breteando aquí. |
| Carlos: I am working here. Okay I can understand the differences between the two questions but this I couldn’t tell you. |
| Natalia: Claro, Carlos and like the first change in the conversation, he will have the word “breteando” which is a gerund of the verb “bretear” and this verb “bretear” is a word we use here in Costa Rica that means to work. |
| Carlos: You know, I really should have paid attention in my high school English class. I mean what’s a gerund? |
| Natalia: Carlos, you don’t know what a gerund is? |
| Carlos: No. |
| Natalia: These are words that end with ing. |
| Carlos: Oh okay like eating, drinking, swimming. |
| Natalia: Right but in this case working. One important thing to keep in mind with these is that they express a continuous action. |
| Carlos: Nice. So the verb “bretear” to work becomes “breteando” and this means |
| Natalia: Working. |
| Carlos: Excellent. Slowly but surely people. |
| Natalia: We often use the words like this after the verb Estar just like we saw in the conversation: Estóy breteando, estás breteando, está breteando. |
| Carlos: Very interesting Natie. So is this verb “bretear” used more than the verb “trabajar” by Ticos. |
| Natalia: Well I could say it’s very, very, very common and here there is another word associated with the two. |
| Carlos: Yeah like what? |
| Natalia: Take for example, the verb “breteador”. |
| Carlos: “breteador” |
| Natalia: Yep. We use it as a phrase “Qué breteador.”, which means something like what a hard worker! |
| Carlos: Okay. So when talking about our boss who works really way too much, we could say |
| Natalia: Qué breteador. |
| Carlos: Relax a little bit man, Chill. Pura vida. All right Natie, “breteador” means something like workaholic. |
| Natalia: It does mean workaholic. |
| Carlos: Cool. So once again our standard version, we heard. |
| Natalia: Yo estoy en Ecuador para trabajar. |
| Carlos: Which in Costa Rica would probably sound like |
| Natalia: Estoy breteando aquí. |
| Carlos: I am working here. Natie, would you say, you are a workaholic. |
| Natalia: Depends. I work a fair bit but I am not a workaholic. Actually we have a saying for this. |
| Carlos: And that is |
| Natalia: Well, we say “Hay que saber cuando trabajar y cuando celebrar”. |
| Carlos: Okay. Can you say that a little slower please? I didn’t really understand you. |
| Natalia: Okay. “Hay que saber cuando trabajar y cuando celebrar”. |
| Carlos: Umm what does that mean? |
| Natalia: Well one must know when to work and when to celebrate. |
| Carlos: Now I rarely hear words live by but I think I might have found the example today. |
| Natalia: Because you only feel about celebrating. That’s all you think about. |
| Carlos: So….Okay it’s about that time. Let’s take a look at some of the localisms that we heard in today’s conversation. Now Natie, in our Costa Rican conversation, Alejandra tells Luis. |
| Natalia: Soy biologa. And that means I am a biologist. |
| Carlos: Okay now, Lewis has an interesting response. I mean my Spanish is pretty basic but he says “Qué verde.” and you know, in entry levels, they teach us colors and so I think that means how green. |
| Natalia: Well that’s the literal translation. |
| Carlos: Okay but I mean does this response has something to do with her being a biologist? |
| Natalia: Well yes and no, sí, no. In Costa Rica, how green means how smart. |
| Carlos: Okay so if Alejandro told Louise I am a doctor, his response could still be |
| Natalia: ¡Qué verde¡ Yeah but there is a little more to it than that. There is kind of a downside to being “verde”. |
| Carlos: A downside. |
| Natalia: Well Carlos, you remember when you were in school how were the really smart kids treated by the other kids? |
| Carlos: Umm not particularly well, I mean if I remember correctly. I mean being the nerd was not something anyone wanted to be. |
| Natalia: Can I ask you a question? |
| Carlos: Okay. |
| Natalia: Were you a nerd or geek in high school Carlos? |
| Carlos: No. I mean come on, who are you talking to? |
| Natalia: I think you have a small feeling to it. What did they call you in school? |
| Carlos: Geek, wait no, I mean…. |
| Natalia: Hmm told you. |
| Carlos: Now you know why I am in Costa Rica. |
| Natalia: Carlos, you got the whole look of it. So here we would say “eres un verde” he is a nerd. |
| Carlos: Well, you see you give a little bit and she takes that opportunity, just kick you. |
| Natalia: Kick you! |
| Carlos: Okay well something like that figuratively speaking. All right, so…. |
| Natalia: I will kick you. |
| Carlos: See, this is aggressiveness audience, aggressiveness. |
| Natalia: I am a same person. |
| Carlos: Okay. |
| Natalia: Let’s continue. |
| Carlos: But you know what, as one gets older, being a nerd isn’t necessarily a bad thing. |
| Natalia: If you wanted to flatter someone, you could say “eres todo verde” he is really smart. |
| Carlos: All right, all right, all right let me try. Natalia, eres todo verde. |
| Natalia: Thank you Carlos but I got a question. |
| Carlos: What’s that? |
| Natalia: Are you going to sell me something? |
| Carlos: No. Natie, why do I have to be selling something? I am just trying to give a compliment, man! |
| Natalia: That’s quite unusual so I am just saying. |
| Carlos: Exactly. So you should take that unusual event and take it as a hint that it’s the truth. |
| Natalia: I know I am smart. You don’t have to tell me I am smart. |
Outro |
|---|
| Carlos: This will conclude today’s lesson. Don’t forget to reference this lesson with newbie lesson 6 and be sure to pick up the PDF at spanishpod101.com Also if you had any questions, feel free to leave us a comment on our forum, come on and show us some love. See you soon. |
| Natalia: Nos vemos pronto. |
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