When folks visit Costa Rica they often hear a phrase that may sound unfamiliar, even to those who know a little Spanish. That phrase is “Pura Vida” (pronounced as POO-rah VEE-dah) and can be viewed as the Costa Rican “national motto.” Literally translated it means “Pure Life.” Contextually, it means “Full of Life,” “Purified life,” “This is living!,” or “Going great!” Although, Costa Rica has no officially designated national motto, if you asked a tico what it might be, “Pura Vida” is the likely response. No other country in Latin America uses this expression. It is unique to Costa Rica. Costa Ricans started using the expression after the Mexican movie Pura Vida!, which premiered on February 29th 1956 (director: Gilberto Martínez Solares). During that time only a small portion of the population used it. By 1970 everyone used the expression on a daily basis because the words conveyed the state of happiness, peace, and tranquility that political stability and freedom bring to Costa Ricans. Nowadays, “Pura Vida” has become so popular and widely used that the expression has been added to Costa Rican Spanish dictionaries as an idiom to greet, or to show appreciation. Pura Vida is a word that is very significant and meaningful to Costa Ricans. Basically, it is a “cultural identifier” and signifies what it means to be a tico. The phrase has become widely known in the USA and Europe, due to Costa Rica’s having become a popular tourist destination for those countries. Although, some foreigners may view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time and wanton friendliness, the Costa Ricans, however, use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune, whether small or large. Pura Vida is used in a wide variety of contexts such as “I am doing alright”, “I’m doing perfect” and even “Thank you.” As an expat, one sure way to win your way into the hearts and minds of the ticos is to learn the proper usage of the phrase and then use it. I have noticed that as a gringo, if I use Pura Vida I generally get a big smile in return. It is an acknowledgment of the Costa Rican attitude towards life and it is good to show that you are on the same page with them. Here are some ways to use “Pura Vida” correctly…..
To Greet Someone….
When you see someone on the streets, shake hands, or just to say hello you would say “Pura Vida!” That means in English “Hi,” “Hello,” “How are you doing?” and/ or “What’s going on?”
To Say Good-bye….
When you leave a place, you want to say good bye, you could say “Hasta luego todo estuvo Pura Vida.”
To Show Appreciation (for a person, object or situation)….
If you want to express that a situation, object, or situation is great, cool, abundant, joy, and/or fun. You would say something or someone is Pura Vida. “Usted es Pura Vida!” means you are a great person.
So there you have it, the history and proper usage of Pura Vida. Portions of the above were borrowed from Wikipedia and the web site, Costa Rica.com.
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Costa Rica Blog - 365 Reasons I Love Costa Rica » Blog Archive » Reason #143: Tico Culture - Ten Things You Might Want to Know
[…] 4. Like all Latin countries, ticos have their own idiosyncratic and colloquial expressions. The two most noticeable are the use of the phrase “pura vida” and the repeated use of the word “mae” in informal conversations. Pura vida literally means “pure life” and is used most often in greetings…..such as in the exchange……”como esta?”……response: “pura vida.” Mae is a slang expression, and is used to represent what in English would commonly be replaced with “man” or “dude,” as in “how’s it going, dude?”…..”como esta, mae?” See previous blog post. […]
baskar
Great post. Thank you. Found it interesting- read about Pura Vida at Brittanica Blog (http://www.britannica.com/blogs/2009/09/pura-vida-trying-to-really-live-life-smell-the-roses-and-all-that/), checked Wikipedia- but your post is more detailed than both. Thank you.