Useful Spanish words

The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. Many people in Costa Rica understand a little English, some people understand a lot of English. A few people speak English well.

The La Selva Biological Station operates in a mixture of English and Spanish. You can live and work there quite happily without knowing any Spanish, but learning at least a little Spanish will enhance your experience.

Many Spanish words sound like English words so even if you haven't heard them before, it isn't too hard to figure out the meaning, e.g. caiman is the Spanish word for caiman, a small crocodile. Serpiente is the word for serpent or snake.

Here are a few useful words to know:

Animals

aves	birds
anfibios	amphibians
culebra	snake (cobra)
danto	tapir
especies	species
guapote	large cichlid
loro	parrot
machaka	characin (type of fish)
mamiferos	mammals
mariposa	butterfly
moga	medium-sized cichlid
mojarra	small cichlid
mono	monkey
murcielago	bat
peces	fish
rana	frog
sapo	toad
serpiente	snake (serpent)
tortuga	turtle
venenosas	venemous snakes
zorillo	skunk

Environment

agua	water
arbol	tree
arroyo	stream
bosque	forest; wood
lluvia	rain
mundo	world
rio	river
selva	forest
sendero	path
zona	zone

Station things

campesino	farmer
cientificos	scientists
estudiantes	students
laboratorio	laboratory
visitantes	visitors