Abbreviations in Spanish | SpanishDictionary.com
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Abbreviations in Spanish

Quick Answer

Whether you need to write someone an email ASAP or send a quick message on FB, you can use abreviaturas(abbreviations) to shorten your sentences. Abbreviations help us avoid repetition, take notes quickly, and make an informal text easier to read. Above all, they are convenient!

Common General Abbreviations

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
aprox.
aproximadamente
approximately (approx.)
cap.
capítulo
chapter (ch.)
pág.
página
page (p.)
p. ej.
por ejemplo
for example (e.g.)
q.e.p.d.
que en paz descanse
Rest in Peace (RIP)
Ud.
usted
you (formal, singular)
Uds.
ustedes
you (formal, plural)
v.
véase
see
examples
Necesito hablar con Ud.
I need to talk to you.
Para más ejemplos, consulte la pág. 86.
For more examples, turn to p. 86.

Courtesy Titles and Professions

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
D.
don
Mr.
Dña.
doña
Mrs. (known marital status), Ms. (unknown marital status)
Dr.
doctor
Dr. (male)
Dra.
doctora
Dr. (female)
Pdte.
presidente
president (male)
Pdta.
presidenta
president (female)
Prof.
profesor
professor (male)
Prof.ª
profesora
professor (female)
Sr.
señor
Mr.
Sra.
señora
Mrs. (known marital status), Ms. (unknown marital status)
Srta.
señorita
Ms., Miss
examples
Su cita con el dentista es a las 9 am, Sra. Mendoza.
Your dentist appointment is at 9 am, Mrs. Mendoza.
El Prof. Ramsay ya no trabaja aquí; se jubiló hace tres años.
Prof. Ramsay doesn't work here anymore; he retired three years ago.

Measurements

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
cm
centímetro
centimeter (cm)
g
gramo
gram (g)
h
hora
hour (hr)
kg
kilogramo
kilogram (kg)
km
kilómetro
kilometer (km)
l
litro
liter (l)
m
metro
meter (m)
mg
miligramo
milligram (mg)
min
minuto
minute (min.)
mm
milímetro
millimeter (mm)
oz
onza
ounce (oz)
s
segundo
second (sec)
examples
Compró 400 g de jamón.
She bought 400 g of ham.
Añada 2 oz de crema dulce a la mezcla.
Add 2 oz of sweet cream to the mix.

These abbreviations may also be written with a period if they are formed by more than two letters.

Months

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
en.
enero
January (Jan.)
feb.
febrero
February (Feb.)
mzo.
marzo
March (Mar.)
abr.
abril
April (Apr.)
my.
mayo
May
jun.
junio
June (Jun.)
jul.
julio
July (Jul.)
ag.
agosto
August (Aug.)
set.
septiembre
September (Sep.)
oct.
octubre
October (Oct.)
nov.
noviembre
November (Nov.)
dic.
diciembre
December (Dec.)
examples
Fecha de nacimiento: 13 dic. 2001.
Date of birth: Dec. 13th, 2001.
Fecha de consumo preferente: 9 feb.
Best-by date: Feb. 9.

Click here to learn more about months in Spanish!

Days of the Week

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
lu.
lunes
Monday (Mon.)
ma.
martes
Tuesday (Tues.)
mi.
miércoles
Wednesday (Wed.)
ju.
jueves
Thursday (Thurs.)
vi.
viernes
Friday (Fri.)
sá.
sábado
Saturday (Sat.)
do.
domingo
Sunday (Sun.)
examples
Reserva la fecha: vi. 21 de enero de 2022.
Save the date: Fri., January 21, 2022.
La reunión tendrá lugar el lu. a las 2 pm.
The meeting will take place Mon. at 2 pm.

You may see several different abbreviations used to refer to the days of the week! Here's another way to refer to them:

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
L

lunes

Monday (Mon.)
M

martes

Tuesday (Tues.)
X

miércoles

Wednesday (Wed.)
J

jueves

Thursday (Thurs.)
V

viernes

Friday (Fri.)
S

sábado

Saturday (Sat.)
D

domingo

Sunday (Sun.)

Click here to learn more about the days of the week in Spanish!

Geography and Directions

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
apdo.
apartado postal
PO Box
avda.
avenida
avenue (Ave.)
Bs. As.
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
E
este
east (E)
EE. UU.
Estados Unidos
United States (U.S.)
ESP
España
Spain
N
norte
north (N)
O
oeste
west (W)
S
sur
south (S)
examples
Austin es mi ciudad favorita de los EE. UU.
Austin is my favorite city in the U.S.
La Avda. Michigan es la calle más conocida de Chicago.
Michigan Ave. Is Chicago's best-known street.

Texting

Spanish speakers often use abbreviations when they text, just as English speakers do. Listed below are many of the most common Spanish texting abbreviations:

AbbreviationMeaningTranslation
bn
bien
good (gd)
grax
gracias
thank you (ty)
msj
mensaje
message (msg)
mdi
me da igual
I don’t care (IDC)
npn
no pasa nada
don’t worry about it (DWBI)
ntp
no te preocupes
don’t worry (D/W)
tb
también
also, too
tqi
tengo que irme
I have to go (HTG)
tqm
te quiero mucho
I love you very much (ILYVM)
x fa
por favor
please (pls)
xqporque, por québecause ('cause), why
examples
¿Me puedes llamar a las 9 x fa?
Can you call me at 9 pls?
¿Xq no quieres ir?
Why don't you want to go?

Texting is a great way to practice using abbreviations in Spanish. Click here to learn more!

Need to write a letter or an email in Spanish? Learn how with these articles!

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