Have you ever seen an abbreviation in Spanish that you didn't understand? Enforex gives you the solution in this article. Like other languages, Spanish uses abbreviations to simplify written communication and save space. That's why knowing the different Spanish abbreviations and the most used can help you when traveling in Spanish-speaking countries like Spain.
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What are Spanish abbreviations?
Spanish abbreviations are reduced forms of words or phrases used in written texts to simplify writing. They are used in a variety of contexts, from formal documents to text messages between friends. There are three main types of Spanish abbreviations: siglas, abbreviations and acronyms.
Differences between siglas, abbreviations and acronyms
As mentioned earlier, abbreviations are shortened forms of a single word. They are often formed by taking the first letters of the word followed by a period. Some examples are:
- Sr. – Señor
- Dra. - Doctora
On the other hand, siglas are words formed by the initial letters of a set of words. Each letter of the sigla represents a word and are generally capitalized. They are not pronounced as a single word, but are spelled out, for example:
- UE – Unión Europea (European Union)
- BCE – Banco Central Europeo (European Central Bank)
- FMI – Fondo Monetario Internacional (International Monetary Fund)
- DNI – Documento Nacional de Identidad (National Identity Card)
- ONG – Organización no gubernamental (Non-governmental organization)
Acronyms are like siglas but differ in that they are pronounced as a single word. They are also formed by the initials of several words, but their use allows a more fluid reading. Some examples of acronyms in Spanish are:
- UNESCO - Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
- ONU – Organización de las Naciones Unidas (United Nations)
- PYME – Pequeñas y medianas empresas (Small and Medium Enterprise)
- OTAN – Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Norte (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
- UNICEF - Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (United Nations Children's Fund)
- OMS – Organización Mundial de la Salud (World Health Organization)
Most common Spanish abbreviations
Here are some of the most common abbreviations in Spanish:
- Sr./Sra. - Señor/Señora (Sir/Madam)
- Srta. - Señorita (Miss)
- Dr./Dra. - Doctor/Doctora
- Lic. - Licenciado/a (Licensed)
- Prof. - Profesor/a (Professor)
- Ing. - Ingeniero/a (Engineer)
- Arq. - Arquitecto/a (Architect)
- Ej. - Ejemplo (Example)
- a.C. - Antes de Cristo (before Christ)
- d.C. - Después de Cristo (after Christ)
- Av. - Avenida (Avenue)
- C or c/ - Calle (Street)
- Telf. - Teléfono (Telephone)
- N.º - Número (Number)
- P.D. - Posdata (Postscript)
- S/N - Sin número (Unnumbered)
- C.P. - Código Postal (Zip code)
- Min. - Minuto (Minute)
- Aprox. - Aproximadamente (Approximately)
- Etc. - Etcétera
- Pág. - Página (Page)
- Ud. - Usted
- Atte. - Atentamente (Sincerely)
- Máx. - Máximo (Maximum)
- Min. - Mínimo (Minimum)
- Dto. - Descuento (Discount)
In addition, Spanish abbreviations are also used for days of the week and months of the year.
Days of the week:
- L - Lunes (Monday)
- M - Martes (Tuesday)
- X - Miércoles (Wednesday)
- J - Jueves (Thursday)
- V - Viernes (Friday)
- S - Sábado (Saturday)
- D - Domingo (Sunday)
Months of the year:
- ENE - Enero (January)
- FEB - Febrero (February)
- MAR - Marzo (March)
- ABR - Abril (April)
- MAY - Mayo (May)
- JJUN - Junio (June)
- JUL - Julio (July)
- AGO - Agosto (August)
- SEPT - Septiembre (September)
- OCT - Octubre (October)
- NOV - Noviembre (November)
- DIC - Diciembre (December)
Abbreviations for texting in Spanish
In the digital age, Spanish abbreviations have found a special place in rapid communication through text messages and social networks. These abbreviations allow for faster and more efficient communication, especially among teenagers. Here are some common examples:
- xq or pq - porque
- x - por
- q tal? - ¿qué tal?
- tmb or tb - también
- q - que
- dnd - donde
- bno - bueno
- d - de
- mñn - mañana
- xfa - por favor
- grx - gracias
- ntc - no te creas
- ntr - no te rayes
- tqm - te quiero mucho
The use of abbreviations in Spanish is a common practice that facilitates written communication in various contexts, especially informally. Although the abbreviations that appear in this article are by far not all the ones that exist, only the most common ones.
Thus, all these abbreviations contribute to the faster and more efficient transmission of information. Therefore, knowing and using these abbreviations correctly will not only improve your understanding of Spanish, but will also make your written communication more effective and sounder native.
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