How I Learned Spanish, via Marriage
I'm often asked, how essential is it to speak Spanish in order to live in Costa Rica?
It certainly helps, but it's not entirely necessary.
Costa Ricans are very patient with non-Spanish speakers. And most communicate quite well with English speakers. Many actually do speak it. And many who don’t have learned how to manage rudimentary conversations.
I'm also often asked whether I spoke Spanish when I first arrived…
No, I certainly did not.
An anecdote I like to share about those early days is when I was riding in a car with others who were all Spanish speakers and noticed signs related to the upcoming election that stated, “vota por usted!”
I asked my friends who exactly was this candidate named “Usted.”
Laughter and embarrassment ensued.
Anyway, that was only one of many awkward moments before I at least learned to ask, “donde esta el baño?"
Truth is that I learned my Spanish the hard way, via marriage to a non-English speaker.
What made it even harder is that I married a Colombian lady.
I mentioned above that Costa Ricans are patient with non-Spanish speakers…
Well, Colombians, not so much.
Making my transition from the “Señor Usted” moment to being semi-fluent involved the added difficulty of having to learn a whole separate vocabulary of Colombianismos. That is, words that only Colombians, especially those from the Medellin area, use.
Truth be told there are many tico colloquialisms as well. But Colombian Spanish is on a whole different level when it comes to regularly used slang.
My wife and I spend a lot of time in Medellin. While I now feel fairly comfortable and confident with my Spanish speaking abilities in Costa Rica…
In Colombia, not so much.
The bottom line is that the more Spanish you speak, the better you will enjoy living in a Spanish-speaking country.
That might sound like common sense, right?
Then why don't more expats follow it?
There are many many expats who have lived in Costa Rica many years, decades even, who still can't even ask, donde esta el baño.
I guess many of those arrived to Costa Rica at a ripe age and, lets face it, the younger you are, the easier it will be to learn the language.
But even if you’re already an old fart, like I was when I first arrived (well, I was 40, so not that much of an old fart), accept the challenge and learn the damn language.
And in doing so, please keep in mind that striving for perfection will be a losing battle. You'll never be “fluent.” You'll never be able to speak it as if you were born here.
But if you can reach a decent level of conversational ability, you'll be a more content (and maybe even a long-term) expat and less of one who constantly complains about everything.
Understanding the language of the locals will go a long way towards helping you understand them and their culture.
And it’s always best to seek first to understand and only then to be understood.
