Costa Rica
/kɔs.ta ʁi.ka/masculine
Costa Rica is the French way to say Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is used to refer to the country in French.
Meaning: country (name)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the French-speaking province of Québec in Canada, the term Costa Rica remains the same.
How does it change in a sentence?
The name is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɔs.ta ʁi.ka/
Did you know?
- The word Costa in the name of the country was borrowed into French via Occitan, a medieval language spoken in southern France, before coming from Latin.
- In French, the country's name is masculine, meaning you must use le Costa Rica and masculine adjectives to describe it.
- While the name is Spanish in origin, a French speaker will pronounce the 'r' in Costa Rica using the guttural uvular fricative rather than the rolled Spanish 'r'.
Examples in context
- Le Costa Rica est célèbre pour sa biodiversité.Costa Rica is famous for its biodiversity.
- Nous avons passé des vacances incroyables au Costa Rica.We had an amazing vacation in Costa Rica.
- As-tu déjà visité le Costa Rica?Have you ever been to Costa Rica?
- Je pars au Costa Rica demain.I am leaving for Costa Rica tomorrow.
- Le Costa Rica est un pays magnifique.Costa Rica is a magnificent country.
- As-tu déjà visité le Costa Rica ?Have you ever visited Costa Rica?
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are talking about their next vacation plans.
- EmmaTu veux aller au Costa Rica avec moi ?Do you want to go to Costa Rica with me?
- NathanOui, j'adore le Costa Rica !Yes, I love Costa Rica!
- EmmaOn peut voir beaucoup d'animaux là-bas.We can see many animals there.
- NathanC'est une excellente idée, Emma.That is an excellent idea, Emma.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “costa rica” translations and entries Costa Rica, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Costa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
