www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I think it is not fair to take a shot at a brother who can't speak the lingo.On the other hand i know that if you get inside her mind for me at least you will enhance a good expierence into a great one.As long as your having fun thats all that matters.I would say that in CR skills in Spanish are less important than other places(Mexico,Colombia,Peru)but they still help.Happy hunting Hombres!

This seems fairly simple to me. If you want to take girls to your room and bang them with hopes that they will leave soon after your done then you really don't need Spanish. The same is true with MPs . If you are into making "friends" , talking, walking thru the city, all nighters, etc then knowing some Spanish is a lot better. I had great experiences when I had almost zero Spanish and I have had the same now that I know a little Spanish. I will say that knowing Spanish provides a lot of opportunities if your here for an extended amount of time.

To speak or not to speak:




My man any time cash is involved you're a customer. I don't quite see how anyone would consider paying a woman to sleep with you a challenge. It is simply a business deal. As for being well thought of that has much more to do with your behavior then your ability to discuss her favorite musical group with her. Now good behavior is a challenge for many people. The ability to acquire the use of another language is an accomplishment to be proud of. But does not give you the privilege of looking down upon those who do not have that skill.

I have had a fairly successful career in the last 11 years in Costa Rica without the benefit of Spanish relying primarily on my good behavior ,gentlemanly qualities and generous amounts of cash to get anyplace any of you have ever gotten with the use of Spanish. Is your way better? Possibly so possibly not its really not important. What's important is that I have had a very nice time in the last decade and I'm proud to say I have created little if any collateral damage.

To summarize be proud of your linguistic abilities but do not be pompous about it. Do not be ashamed that you have enjoyed the pleasures that Costa Rica has to offer and come away without the ability to speak a second language. The only thing to be ashamed of is if you have gone there and disrespected her or her country. Keep in mind we're not all the same. And this is not a competitive sport no one is keeping score and no championship rings will be handed out at the end of the season. Be courteous, be generous and do not send money.

Lee

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PS: DO NOT SEND MONEY!

Am not being pompous about it at all, Lee. Actually am working on improving my existing skill set in the espanol area, so there is room for improvement. Have only been mongering for 5 years or so, primarily in Mex and SEA. The challenge is to see how much you can get for how little. I enjoyed two nights for $30 worth of meals in Jaco with a beauty from Beetle Bar. Had I not been able to communicate with her, that never would have happened. Same experiences in Indonesia and when living in Tijuana. The money saved by your ability to communicate makes up for the cost of learning the language (lessons, etc.) You want to keep it simple, pay as you go, that is your right. But if that was all I had to look forward to on my mongering trips, I would have quit long ago.

Last year when i moved here I had very little spanish. After a year but with not much studying I am starting to pick up more and more. The SL girls have figured out that I now understand a lot of what they are saying and are more careful around me now. It is not necessary in CR but certainly improves the experience.


BKTUNA
I am never going home

I agree with the general sentiment that you can have some outlandishly great times - as I did on trips 1- 6 - without speaking much of the language. After that, having an English-speaking Tica girlfriend actually further retarded my learning efforts.

But since then I've made a concerted effort to learn the language, and I feel it's definitely paid dividends in terms of making better connections, and just generally enjoying the "down time" more. More than that, learning a language is rewarding in itself, even giving you a little more insight into the mentality and the culture. One thing that fascinates me about Spanish is this whole "indicative vs. subjunctive" mode thing - where the verb form changes just because the sentence is expressing a degree of impersonal opinion, doubt or uncertainty - rather than stating a fact. Probably one of the hardest aspects of the language to learn and integrate actually.

So even though banging chicas was probably my primary impetus for learning Spanish, now that I'm further along in the process, it's become something I find worthwhile on its own merits.

I like Lee's post. I speak the language very well, but his sentiments are right on the button. Minimize collateral damage, respect the people, and mongering is not a competive sport. I will be on the lookout for Lee's posts, he's got a good way of thinking!

Extensive spanish CAN lead to a better time in CR, however, -from a 1st timer- if one learns the following 5 expressions and how to use them when asking a question one will be MUCH better off. "I like" "I have" "I am" "I go" "I want" You can use these for most everything, from the taxista going to your hotel, to ordering from Cafe Du Monde or Tin Jo, to your Tica favorita...knowing how to say/use these expressions will put one that much further ahead.

It`s really funny, after reading this thread I counted how many Spanish words I know and it`s near 100, and that`s just from taking 7 trips there and using a dictionary. I guess it just happens out of necessity and desire, and naturally I need to know a lot more to be conversational.

I have been working on my Spanish and I find the effort worthwhile. I can carry on basic conversations.

My wingman lives here in Costa Rica and hardly speaks a lick. He is barely trying to learn, and he is having a blast.

Learning a new language can be a daunting task. It takes a lot of time and effort. Boquest is exactly right, if you can get those few basic expressions down, you will be able to get by just fine.

The two best places I have found for practicing Spanish is with taxi drivers and puntas at the Del Rey. They usually know enough English to get by, it is a good way to learn bridging the gap.

For sure, you can have a great time in Costa Rica without speaking spanish--You can pay $100 and not get the 2 hours you thought you were paying for, not getting the BBBJ you thought she agreed to, or not getting the GFE you wanted. You can get the rush treatment because she has no interest in spending time with you because you are not interested in her except for the quicky she things you want. The sad thing is if you could speak the language and could comunicate with her, and if you therefore could show her that (whether true or not- only preceived by her) you were interested in her, her life, her K*ds and or family, etc., the price you pay will come down, the time you get will go up, and the willingness to do ALL THE THINGS you want will be an automatic thing.

Just what I have found to be a fact of mongering here during the past 11 years!!!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

There is another reason why some people here advocate learning Spanish so much.
Its FUN!

It is so much fun and so gratifying to find the Spanish I am studying coming to good use when I am in Costa Rica. Keep in mind, I am NOT one of those guys that liked taking foriegn languages in school. The only class I ever failed in highschool was my foriegn language class. Foriegn Language study delayed my graduation from college by 2 years!

The feeling I get when I speak to someone in Spanish, even though I am barely conversant, is a high that is somewhat addictive. It is hard to explain, but I do know that others have gotten the feeling because my wingman has started studying like a madman.

Also, it is nice learning something new as an adult that I can imediately put to use. It is one of those things where you get imediate feedback on your progress. Personally, I prefer communicating with some shop clerk who speaks no english, than talking to a puta who has picked up enough english to communicate.

The crazy part is being back in the States and studying the language with exitement. Learning new vocabulary or grammar points and saying "Oh, that is how I say that" or "Ah, so that is what she was trying to say." Studying Spanish takes me partially back to Costa Rica and gives me warm feelings all over.

One last benefit. It is a great excuse with friends and family as to why I am heading back to Costa Rica so much.

Well said, Count Dante. In college, I failed German. I was told some people are incapable of learning other languages. Since then I have learned Mandarin, Bahasa, am at around 50% in my Spanish. Hoping to put that number around 90% after the classes I am taking at home and in CR in November. I learned more from immersion than any other way. Traveling around SEA teaching English helped too. Congrats on your accomplishment. I love studying Spanish as well. A very fun hobby, next to actually using it on a favorita.

I would still caution against exclussively immersing yourself in "class room" Spanish. One of the things I learned through adolescence when learning English was understanding slang or sarcasim. I agree we all must start somewhere and congrats to those who make an effort outside of the fact that it improves your experience in CR.

But at the sametime I would encourage partaking into conversation when possible so dialect doesn't come across so robotic. Also you will start to massage your words and develop an actual accent.

Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

I have found I develop an accent based on the people I am around. My Nica favorita says I almost sound Nico sometimes. My amigas in Mexico have asked me if I was Mexican, I can imitate thier regional accents.