costa
/ˈkosta/
costa is the Spanish word for costa (phrase).
Specifically, la costa del Pacífico means the Pacific coast and la costa este means the east coast. When used in the name of the country Costa Rica, it refers to the Rich Coast.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the term litoral is commonly used alongside costa.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkosta/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, costa is not just for geography. If someone says me cuesta, they are not talking about a coast, but that something is difficult or takes a great effort to do.
- In Spanish, the word costa can also refer to a 'rib' in an anatomical context, stemming from the same Latin root meaning 'side'.
- While costa describes the shoreline, Spanish uses the word cuesta for a slope or hill. These two words are doublets, meaning they both evolved from the same Latin root referring to a 'rib' or 'side'.
Examples in context
- Juan era costarricense, mientras que Pierre y Jack eran de Réunion y Sudáfrica respectivamente.Juan was Costa Rican, whilst Pierre and Jack came from Réunion and South Africa respectively.This sentence illustrates a comparison between different nationalities including someone who is Costa Rican using costa.Tatoeba #1614639 by hayastan, translation #877484 by LittleBoy
- Alberto es de Costa Rica. Es costarricense.Alberto is from Costa Rica. He is Costa Rican.This sentence shows how to say someone is from Costa Rica and is Costa Rican using costa.Tatoeba #1110361 by alexmarcelo, translation #1110360 by frpzzd
- Adriana es de Costa Rica. Es costarricense.Adriana is from Costa Rica. She is Costa Rican.This sentence shows how to say a female is from Costa Rica and is Costa Rican using costa.Tatoeba #1110365 by alexmarcelo, translation #1110364 by tchrspet1
- Mis vacaciones soñadas serían en la hermosa costa de Costa Rica.My dream vacation would be on Costa Rica's beautiful coast.
- Vamos a disfrutar del sol y la arena en la costa este.Let's enjoy the sun and sand on the east coast.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are planning a trip to the beach.
- MateoVamos a pasar las vacaciones en la costa.We are going to spend the holidays on the coast.
- Elena¡Qué buena idea, Mateo!What a great idea, Mateo!
- MateoLa costa es muy bonita en verano.The coast is very beautiful in summer.
- ElenaSí, quiero ir a la costa pronto.Yes, I want to go to the coast soon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry costa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries costa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
