For those just learning to speak Spanish, lessons in verb tenses
are some of the most difficult. English speakers are already
familiar with the simple present tense, the past tense and the
past participle, and these three are used commonly in Costa
Rica. However, many new Spanish speakers are surprised by two
common Costa Rican verb usages—the near-nonexistence of the
future tense and the prevalence of the subjunctive. Many people
take Spanish classes in preparation for their trips to Costa
Rica. They have spent months learning how to conjugate the
future tense of the most common verbs and come fully equipped to
discuss any future activity in Spanish. To their great surprise,
Costa Ricans almost never use the future tense. They never say,
“Mañana iré” or “Ella podrá.” Instead, they use words that
indicate a future time, like “mañana” or “la semana que viene”
and add a verb in the infinitive. The English equivalent would
be to say, “Tomorrow, I go…” or “Next week, you eat…” The Costa
Rican use of the future in