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Summary: This book was so valuable to me when I was in Costa Rica
Review: I took this book with me on a 3 week vacation summer 2004. It was so helpful that I kept it in my pocket or purse at all times and referred to it often. I was able to look up 90% of what I wanted to say and was able to communicate pretty well. The people I met were very patient and kind and helped me with my Spanish... even complimented me when I left the country that I had learned a lot of Spanish. The other book I would take is a English/Spanish pocket dictionary for those words that aren't included in this wonderful book. I highly recommend it!
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Summary: Travel more intelligently with this phrasebook
Review: I was extremely pleased to see that Lonely Planet came out with a phrasebook specific to Costa Rica. Prior to this, they (and most other guidebook companies) had only general Latin American Spanish phrasebooks. This was silly as Spanish varies considerably from country to country in Latin America. The author, Mr. Kohnstamm, does an amazing job of including the nuances of the Costa Rican dialect while offering interesting cultural insight and traveling tips. This book is perhaps a little over the head of your average tour group or package tourist. However, for those who see travel as a way or life and as an art form, this is an indispensible text. Costa Rica is a travel hot spot and sees greater numbers of foreign visitors each year. This phrasebook will help the reader to respect the local culture and conduct themselves in an efficient, responsible manner while traveling in Costa Rica. I highly recommend this phrasebook to anyone plannning to live, study or take an extended trip to Costa Rica.
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Summary: Better than a Spanish Dictionary
Review: If you're ever in Costa Rica and you need to say "I'd like mayonnaise on that" or "I'm a heroin addict" -- this is the book for you. It will help you decode restaurant menus and realize when you're in the wrong bar. You'll learn how to talk to children, go on a date, or get a doctor. In the back of this pocket-sized phrasebook is a handy two-way dictionary for anything you can't find. I have yet to test this book in Costa Rica, but I'm definitely taking it with me.
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Summary: Useful phrases for a full and exciting life.
Review: Of course a phrase book will tell you how to find the bathroom. This one, however, helps you with things like letting someone know that you're going to vomit, telling them what you like in bed, and then telling them that your relationship just isn't working out
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Summary: This book doesn't do the job.
Review: Recently, I read this language guide from cover to cover. Other than a few Costa Rican expressions it is no different than any of the 100's of books of this type for travelers.It wasn't even written by a native Spanish speaker or a person who has lives in Costa Rica on a long-term basis. I'm a bilingual Costa Rican. I guess Lonley can sell a lot of these books because of their name alone while scarificing quality.
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Summary: Best Thing I Could Have Read
Review: This book is amazing-- full of useful phrases and information. And the author is SO hot.
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Summary: Needs More Tico Talk
Review: This book is very complete for most situations the traveller will encounter but it needs more Costa Rican expressions.
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Summary: Don't leave home without it
Review: This book was immensely helpful when myself and two other girls traveled to Costa Rica for a week and a half. You don't need to speak spanish in Costa Rica, but it's much more fun when you can immerse yourself in their culture. And the Costa Rican people are so nice and more than willing to help you learn. This phrase book was great and had all phrases under the sun that you might need. We used mine so much the binding has fallen apart. This thing went everywhere, the pool, horseback riding, whitewater rafting... and survived. The two-way dictionary was great when shopping in small markets where no english was spoken. It's very organized too. I highly recommend this book when you go to Costa Rica.
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Summary: Don't leave home without it
Review: This book was immensely helpful when myself and two other girls traveled to Costa Rica for a week and a half. You don't need to speak spanish in Costa Rica, but it's much more fun when you can immerse yourself in their culture. And the Costa Rican people are so nice and more than willing to help you learn. This phrase book was great and had all phrases under the sun that you might need. We used mine so much the binding has fallen apart. This thing went everywhere, the pool, horseback riding, whitewater rafting... and survived. The two-way dictionary was great when shopping in small markets where no english was spoken. It's very organized too. I highly recommend this book when you go to Costa Rica.
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Summary: Very useful and easy to pack phrasebook
Review: This book was pretty much my bible when I spent 6 weeks in beautiful Costa Rica this winter. I was studying Spanish in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. All of us students were clutching this book, especially the first couple of weeks. The phrasebook has a complete listing of words for any situation. It saved my life getting busses, ordering in restaurants, meeting new people, getting directions, talking politics and even talking with biologists. And, I really appreciated the listing of tico words, cultural tidbits, and Costa Rican expressions. The most entertaining chapter in the phrasebook has to be the "Dating and Romance" section where everything from "Can I buy you a drink" to "Can I take you home" and finally "Will you marry me" is translated! Oh yes, and "This isn't working out!" In any event, I highly recommend this book to novice Spanish speakers, in Costa Rica. It will help you get by on either a short or long stay. Pura vida! P.S. That guy from Forest Hill NY who considers running down rare birds in Costa Rica on his motorcycle to be at worst a form of entertainment... at best, something funny to joke about (see review of Lonely Planet Costa Rica Guidebook).... kinda lacks social skills and should be banned from any tropical paradise where he is not confined to the grounds of the local Club Med. IMHO. :)
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