How to Cuss in Costa Rica

Lets face it, there are just some Spanish phrases that your high school Spanish teacher didn’t share with you. I would argue that the ability to order food in Spanish is no less important than how to cuss out cab driver that is trying to rip you off. Likewise, it is just as important to know when your cab driver is cussing you out because it is probably a sign that he is going to rip you off. So whether you want to know how to talk trash or just be aware of when someone does it to you, this post will help teach you what your Spanish teacher didn’t.

Here are my top Costa Rican cuss words.

• Malparido [Mal-par-ee-do]
  This is a pretty strong insult in Costa Rica. Literally translated it means, “poorly born”. In Costa Rica this is sort of like calling someone a bastard child. While that might not seem like a huge insult to most of the world, Costa Ricans will take this very offensively. Use this one with caution.
• Puta [Poo-ta]
  This is one of your staple cuss words and covers a lot of ground. Puta can be used to call someone a whore, bitch, slut, etc. This term is used a little more freely and doesn’t offer as much of an insult as some of the other terms on this page. As with any cuss word though, the context can make all the difference.
• Hijueputa [ee-hu-e-poo-ta]
  As I said before, Puta is kind of the catch all of cuss words in Costa Rica. This phrase is kind of a general phrase and Im not exactly sure what it means. If you need something a little stronger than Puta, you can pull out the ever popular, Hijueputa. Hijueputa in Costa Rica means “son of a bitch.” this isn’t really used as an insult in Costa Rica. It is more used to curse at something that happened, like realizing your cab driver ripped you off as he drives away
• Eres [er-es] un pura [poo-ra] mierda [mee-er-da]
  Did you manage to catch that taxi driver trying to rip you off before he drove away? Call him out on it by saying, Eres un pura mierda. This basically means, “you are full of shit.” Just be ready for a slew of new cuss words to come at you at an indecipherable speed.
• Laurito [la-ow-ree-to]
  Another must have in your arsenal of Costa Rica cuss words is Laurito. This is your basic “motherfucker.” it is a oldie, but a goodie and should not go unpracticed.
• Jude [ho-de] a tu madre [ma-dre]
  It is almost impossible to add isult to injury without bringing someones mom into the equation. For a good insult involving someones mom, try, Jode a tu madre. This is telling your crass friend to “go fuck your mom.”
• Me cago [ca-go] en la leche [le-ch-e]!
  A bizarre one to say the least, me cago en la leche! literally means “I shit in the milk.” In Costa Rica this means something along the lines of , “damn I have bad luck.”
• Besame [be-sa-me] el culo [coo-lo]
  Another classic response for when a cab driver insists on ripping you off, besame el culo. This is the ever popular curse phrase of “kiss my ass.”
• Calientapollas [cal-ee-en-ta-po-yas]
  This one is just for guys. You know you hate meeting a girl at the bar and being led on. If you feel like calling her out on it, in a very gentlemanly way you can simply call her a calientapollas. This is pretty much the equivalent to a “cocktease.” Im not sure how Costa Rica women respond to this, so try it at your own risk.
• Conyo [con-yo]
  literally means cunt, often used as fuck, shit, damn, etc.
• Mierda [mee-er-da]
  Shit, a nastier version of conyo
• Punieta [pun-ee-eta]
  literally means to jerk off, but often used to call someone a jerk off.
• Cochino [co-ch-ee-no]
  literally means pig, used to call someone a dirty bastard.

Do you know any other good Costa Rican or Spanish cuss words? We would love to hear. After all, who doesn’t like learning new cuss words! Leave us a comment below with your best line. We won’t take it personally.