Kiero and K...What's the rule here?

Question

Why do chicanos write kiero instead of quiero? or por k instead of por que? The most obvious answer of course would be to save time or because it's quicker to spell. But can you replace all words beginning with "qu" or "que" with "k" or are there only special words where this applies????

Answer 1

It's not just Chicanos or any group of Spanish-speaking people. English speakers are guilty of the same thing, and to an extent, we are worse. What exactly are msg, txt and fone? What are lol, ty, yw, rofl etc? I could go on. I believe it has something more to do with brevity & saving time, even laziness, than illiteracy. I have shortened my messages when I text and/or chat to fit more words using less characters, but that doesn't make me illiterate or uneducated, & would be hurt (even mad) if someone tells me that I am just because of how I write my messages.

Now to answer your question, I think the only rule is to keep the same sound while the words are shortened (with some conventions on how some characters are said). Kiero is an example: it sounds the same as quiero but is shorter. Que becomes either K or Ke. Por que = por k, por ke, even xq (x = por). + is más. Salu2 is saludos. These are tips, though, just so that you can decipher the messages, but I do not suggest that you imitate them if you are serious about learning correct spelling in Spanish. I believe there are websites available that have a more comprehensive list of internet & chat slang in Spanish.

Hope this helps.

• Deanski it is hard enogh to change spelling between english and spanish without that. - pacofinkler Feb 17, 2011
• I agree, that's why chatting is not a great way in learning ortografía. But once you figure it out, it's helpful in learning how native speakers express themselves. - Deanski Feb 17, 2011

Answer 2

This is due to either illiteracy or laziness or perhaps a misguided belief that it is "cool" to write like this. If you want to write correctly then you can not replace "qu" or "que" with "k". It is only understandable because it has the same sound.

Answer 3

It does not apply, its either text talk or slang." Porque" or "quiero" are the words in question.

Answer 4

No you can't replace them, it's just a wrong costum.