A few years ago it was much cheaper to buy major US newspapers here in Costa Rica but with increased shipping costs it’s now more convenient to practise your Spanish by reading newspapers online.

Every morning my wife and I sit on our terrace watching the hummingbirds and reading the local newspaper La Nacion and by my side sits an enormous Spanish/English dictionary and, when a new word catches my eye, my fingers do the walking and my little brain tries to absorb as much as possible.

It is often frustrating because I swear that for every new word I learn, since my brain’s hard drive is pretty much full now, that it ‘deletes’ three of the old words that were stored to replace the new one but.., what can you do but keep on trying!

Now some people say that the best way to learn Spanish is to find yourself a ‘long-haired dictionary’ and they’re right! Many of the Ticas are drop-dead gorgeous and the literacy rate in Costa Rica is very high, but my long-haired dictionary is my Guatemalan wife.

Although my Guatemalteca can speak a handful of words in English with other people, for some inexplicable reason, she is incapable of speaking English with me which forces me to speak Spanish all the time at home.

In fact sitting here at my computer for far too many hours in the day day, I think in English for most of the day but speak more Spanish than English.

Start Reading The News In Spanish.
12 great places to start learning Spanish online.

1. Costa Rica’s largest circulation and certainly the country’s most influential newspaper: La Nacion
2. Costa Rica’s main financial newspaper: El Financiero.
3. Costa Rica’s Perfil Magazine.
4. The Wall Street Journal.
5. The Los Angeles Times in Spanish.
6. Keep up with how Israel justifies the deliberate slaughter of innocent children in a giant concentration camp called Gaza with the New York Times.
7. El Diario New York.
8. CNN in Spanish.
9. CNN Sports in Spanish.
10. Cosmopolitan Magazine in Spanish.
11. People Magazine in Spanish.
12. Reader’s Digest in Spanish.

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.