Not knowing a lot of Spanish makes it difficult to navigate throughout Costa Rica. Simple conversation comes naturally, however when topics become in depth, I quickly loose confidence and struggle to find words. That being said, it has become easier for me to comprehend and communicate in Spanish since my arrival in Costa Rica.
My favorite conversations come when I speak to children. While my last two host families in Monteverdi and Flamingo did not have children, my host family in San Joaquin had two, Isaac and Sarah.
Conversations with Sarah were very limited and simple, due to the fact that she was only two years old. Our interactions were limited to playing “fantasma” where I would hide under a blanket and make ghostly noises while she laughed hysterically, and a game she called “Donde?”, where she would hide my phone or some other object of mine and I would have to try and find it.
The first conversation I had with Isaac was about his fidget spinner. My sisters and I all have fidget spinners, and we get on our mothers nerves when we play with them. So when I saw Isaac with one, I had flashbacks to all the times my mother had yelled at us to put them away.
After we introduced ourselves, I asked him what he had in his hands. He told me it was a spinner, one of his favorite toys. He also enjoys playing outside with his friends and family. At school, he told me they learn a lot and play on the playground.
The schools the children attend are also similar to the ones we have. Brightly colored buildings that are named after different countries, the children attend these schools to further their knowledge and build skills that will help them in the future. There, they learn how to speak correctly both grammatically and culturally.
Due to Costa Rica’s special culture, the form tú is not used. Unlike the Spanish I’ve learned in the United States, which instructed me to use the tú form with close friends and family members, Costa Rican Spanish instructs you to only use the usted form when speaking.
This has been a some what difficult adjustment for me, as I have been taught both the tú and vosotros forms of speaking, neither of which are used in this country. It is seen as rude or condescending to use the tú form with anyone, even family members.
So, I have had to change my responses to questions and ask questions in different ways than I am use to, formatting them to respond with the usted form. For example, when asking “and you?”, I would say “¿y usted?” instead of “y tú?” This might not seem like that large of a change, but the impact it has on not only your ability to talk to others here and the responses you get are humungous.
While all of my host families have been very kind and considerate about my lack of grammatically correct Spanish, others in every day life in Costa Rica look at you strangely if in conversation you happen to use the tú form, but by using the usted form, a more proper and respectful version of tú, their responses change from cautious or confused to open, understanding, and very friendly, despite how little Spanish you may know.
Children in the Costa Rican culture are taught the usted form instead of the tú form due to the respectful nature of Costa Rica. In this beautiful country, you speak respectfully to everyone, even children, so a more fare and equal environment can be created.
A-State in Costa Rica 2017 