Q&AHelp With Spanish Text Message Abbreviations (aka slang)

Help With Spanish Text Message Abbreviations (aka slang)

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So, we see it all the time right? We all text and we all have our little lingos. People come here hundreds of times a month and ask for translations of text messages they see or recieve, even some native speakers who don't understand this hybrid form of speaking! I found a great article which I will repost in part here, my source being Gerald Erichsen, of About.com. Please note these are to assist those who need help with translations and this post is intended for educational purposes O N L Y. Please do not try to use this "text lingo" in the forum.

"Sending messages in Spanish can pose extra challenges, as some older phones designed primarily for U.S. users can't be used to send accent marks and Spanish punctuation (most newer models do). But these limitations haven't prevented cell phone chat — technically known in both English and Spanish as SMS (for Short Message Service) — from becoming useful for Spanish speakers worldwide.

One way of overcoming some of the phone's limitations are the use of abbreviations and word or symbol substitutions to get the message across in fewer keystrokes. In Spanish, many of the shorter words used are phonetic usages, such as q for que or qué (the name of the letter is pronounced the same as the word) and the elimination of the letter h, which is silent. Some of the cell phone words are also carryovers from computer chat conventions, such as the use of to indicate happiness. A few anglicisms are also common among the young.

Cell phone abbreviations are far from standardized, but here are some of them you may come across or want to try using yourself:

100pre — siempre — always

a10 — adiós — goodbye

a2 — adiós — goodbye

ac — hace — (form of hacer)

aki — aquí — here

amr — amor — love

aora — ahora — now

asdc — al salir de clase — after class

asias — gracias — thanks

bn — bien — well, good

bb — bebé — baby

bbr — bbr — to drink

bs, bss — besos — kisses

bye — adiós — goodbye

b7s — besitos — kisses

c — sé, se — I know; (reflexive pronoun)

cam — cámara — camera

chao, chau — adiós — goodbye

d — de — from, of

d2 — dedos — fingers

dcr — decir — to say

dew, dw — adiós — goodbye

dfcl — difícil — difficult

dim — dime — tell me

dnd — dónde — where

exo — hecho — act

ems — hemos — We have

ers — eres tú — you are, are you

ers2 — eres tú — are you

eys — ellos — they, you (plural)

grrr — enfadado — angry

finde — fin de semana — weekend

fsta — fiesta — party

hl — hasta luego — see you later

hla — hola — hello

iwal — igual — equal

k — que, qué — that, what

kbza — cabeza — head

kls — clase — class

kntm — cuéntame — tell me

kyat — cállate — Shut up.

KO — estoy muerto — I'm in big trouble.

km — como — as, like

m1ml — mándame un mensaje luego — Send me a message later.

mim — misión imposible — mission impossible

msj — msnsaje — message

mxo — mucho — a lot

nph — no puedo hablar — I can't talk now.

npn — no pasa nada — nothing's happening

pa — para, padre — for, father

pco — poco — a little

pdt — piérdete — get lost

pf — por favor — please

pls — por favor — please

pq — porque, porqué — because, why

q — que, qu.a — that, what

q acs? — ¿Qué haces? — What are you doing?

qand, qando — cuando, cuándo — when

qdms — quedamos — we're staying

q plomo! — ¡Qué plomo! — What a drag!

q qrs? — ¿Qué quieres? — What do you want?

q risa! — ¡Qué risa! — What a laugh!

q sea — qué sea — whatever

q tal? — qué tal — What's happening?

sbs? — ¿sabes? — Do you know?

salu2 — saludos — hello, goodbye

sms — mensaje — message

spro — espero — I hope

tq — te quiero — I love you

tqi — tengo que irme — I have to leave

tas OK? — ¿Estás bien? — Are you OK?

tb — también — also

uni — universidad — university, college

vns? — ¿Vienes? — Are you coming?

vos — vosotros — you (plural)

wpa — ¡Guapa! — Sweet!

xdon — perdón — sorry

xfa — por favor — please

xo — pero — but

xq — porque, porqué — because, why

ymam, ymm — llámame — call me

zzz — dormir — sleeping

"+" — más — more (remove quotations... formatting issue)

— feliz, alegre — happy

— triste — sad
+o- — más o menos — more or less

"-" — menos — less (remove quotations.. formatting issue)

:p — sacar lengua — tongue sticking out

— guiño — wink

Note: Many of the messages using a q for que or qué can also expressed with a k, such as 'tki' for 'tengo que irme.' A few popular abbreviations standing for vulgar words aren't included in this list."