Hla! Cmo stas? Spro bn. Vasir a lo de Carla? GPI btw,… cmo 100pre!
What’s that? Ever encountered something similar while texting with a Spanish native speaker, hanging around on Spanish forums, following social media accounts in Spanish, or watching YouTube videos in what’s arguably the most popular romance language?
Well, that’s Spanish internet slang, language, or whatever you want to call it… Spanish text abbreviations is another name! You might have noticed that most of it is just using the consonants of the words, or abbreviating the phrase. Were you able to catch the meaning of the above phrase? Here’s a translation to good ol’ English:
“Hi! How are you? Hope you’re doing ok. Are you going to Carla’s later? Thanks for inviting me, by the way, …as always!”
Phew! So, if you’re learning Spanish and would like to engage in conversation with native speakers either on the internet or through instant text messaging, it might come in handy to know some of the slang we’ll share below.
Mainly, however, the idea of this article is to share with you how internet and text slang in Spanish—and more specifically, Mexican Spanish—slang is created and thought of by its users.
As with any language one hopes to master, this is a useful thing to consider on your journey to learning it.
Table of Contents
- What Do We Mean by “Internet Talk”?
- Writing with Only Consonants, Abbreviations, and Sounds
- Texting Slang with Numbers
- Texting Slang to Agree on a Meeting
- Conveying Emotions with Spanish Texting Slang
- Final Word About Spanish Text Lingo
- How Can SpanishPod101 Help You Learn Your Spanish Texting and Internet Slang?
1. What Do We Mean by “Internet Talk”?
First of all, it serves to do a quick recap on what “Internet Talk” is in the first place. This consists of all the terms and expressions that started to appear as the internet exploded in popularity.
The internet, being, in broad terms, an American invention, has English as an official language. Thus it’s very normal for young people in Spain, Mexico, Columbia, or most places in Latin America (and most of the world for that matter), to look at internet pages in English.
As a consequence of that, certain expressions have seeped into our usage of Spanish in the web and social media, so don’t be surprised if you see Spanish speakers writing lol, wtf, brb, txt, omg, tfti, and even lmao.
Those mean the same to us Spanish speakers as they do to anyone speaking English, so we’ll assume you got them covered.
Let’s now take a look at what we’ll assume you’re here for: those Spanish abbreviations that aren’t very easy to understand at first.
2. Writing with Only Consonants, Abbreviations, and Sounds
1- Slang: GPI
Actual Meaning & Translation:
As you may have caught from the example at the beginning of this article, this is merely a quick way of typing Gracias por invitar. In English, that’s something like “thanks for the invite.”
Use:
This one can be used in two different ways. One is if you were actually invited to an event that has yet to occur, and you’d like to express gratitude. No problem there, right?
The other one is more sarcastic. You would use it when there’s an event that already happened, or an event that’s happening very soon and you definitely can’t attend. Then you would say GPI or “thanks for the invite,” just to be funny or to rub it in someone’s face that you regret not being invited, or even that you’re sore about not being told in advance.
Be careful with this one, as it can be taken as you being friendly and playful—blasé, let’s say, about not being invited. But depending on the context and the particular situation, it could come off as you actually being offended.
2- Slang: Xq? or Xk? or Just X?
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Short for ¿Porqué?, which is the same as “Why?” or “How come?”
Use:
This one should be pretty self-explanatory. The thing worth noting is that the “q” and “k” are both used interchangeably for the sound of the word que, as in…uhm, quesadilla? Forgive the obvious example, but most people know how to say that one, don’t they?
Also, what’s up with just using the “x” for ¿por qué? Well, in math in Spanish, when you say something like “two times two,” you might say dos veces dos, or, especially if you’re in Mexico and some parts of Latin America, dos por dos. Since the symbol for multiplying is a little “x” for us Spanish speakers as well, then it makes a good quick way of asking x?
3- Slang: Q, Khé, or Ké
Actual Meaning & Translation:
This one is the same as ¿qué?, que, and all the uses of both the word and its sound. Translates to “what,” or “which,” depending on the use.
Use:
That “Q” can actually be seen as q? to ask “what?” as in stating confusion or apprehension. Khé is the same, but much more exaggerated, like you really can’t believe what’s being said and you would go to such lengths as writing it in that manner.
4- Slang: Bn
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Short for bien, which is “good!”
Use:
This is what you’re most likely to answer when someone asks the following in Spanish slang to you over a text or internet convo:
5- Slang: Cmo stas?
Actual meaning & Translation:
Short for ¿Cómo estás? this literally means “How are you?” So of course, you answer “Good!” or plainly bn.
Use:
Just as in English, it’s polite and nice to ask your interlocutor how he or she is doing before starting the conversation, right after hola… or hla, or even ola.
6- Slang: Bno
Actual Meaning & Translation:
A fast way of typing bueno, which is also “good.”
Use:
If you’ve been studying Spanish, perhaps you’ve had explained to you the difference between bien and bueno. It’s sort of like the difference between “good,” “well,” and “ok.” The latter two are usually bien, while the former can be both.
Bno can also express agreement or resignation. Like:
— ¿Vamos x unos tacos?
— Bno, pro pasas por mí?
Translation:
— “Are u down for some tacos?”
— “Ok, but can u give me a ride?”
7- Slang: Ntp
Actual Meaning & Translation:
No te preocupes, which translates to “Don’t worry.”
Use:
Whenever your Spanish-speaking interlocutor is fretting about something, apologizing, or overthinking things, just say ntp. It’s almost used as “chill out.”
8- Slang: Grx or Grax
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Gracias, which, as almost everybody knows, is “Thank you” or “Thanks.”
Use:
Use this when you want to say thanks, but want to appear light-hearted or cool about the whole thing.
9- Slang: Xfa
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Remember how por got turned into x? just a while ago with xq? Well, this is the same thing, but applied to porfa, which is short for Por favor—which is regular old “Please.”
Use:
Want to ask for something the nice way without appearing too formal all the time? Vamos x tacos, xfa.
10- Slang: Spero
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Just took the e off espero… darn those internet kids! Espero is the first-person present conjugation of esperar which is the verb for “to hope” or “to wait.”
Use:
Spero que entiendas esta oración.
Translation? “Hope you catch the meaning of this sentence.”
11- Slang: Vrd or Vdd
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Abbreviation for verdad, which is the word for “truth.”
Use:
This one can be used like you would use the word “truth” in English, as in la vrd no quiero ir (“To tell you the truth, I don’t want to go.”).
It can also be used like when you ask “right” after saying something in English. To stick with the example above: No quieres ir, vdd? (“You don’t really want to go, right?”)
3. Texting Slang with Numbers
Perhaps you’ve come across crazy things like this:
12- Slang: 100pre
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Okay, so, how do you say “one-hundred” in Spanish? That’s cien, which sounds almost like siem, the same sound at the beginning of the word siempre, which means “forever,” in English.
Use:
You can drop this one whenever you need to use the word “forever” in a Spanish sentence.
13- Slang: Salu2
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Same idea. What’s the Spanish word for the number two? Dos is the right answer, as in Saludos, which is something like “greetings,” in English.
Use:
If you use saludos or salu2 at the end of a sentence online, it’s almost like saying “cheers” to say goodbye.
4. Texting Slang to Agree on a Meeting
14- Slang: Vns?
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Short for Vienes, which means “Are you coming?”
Use:
If you’re already at a place or event where you agreed to meet someone, you can text him or her that.
15- Slang: Vasir?
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Short for the phrase ¿Vas a ir? which means “Are you going?”
Use:
Use this when you’re talking about an event or place, but you’re not there yourself.
16- Slang: Aki
Actual Meaning & Translation:
This is Aquí which is the Spanish word for “here,” but spelled with a “k.”
Use:
This is used mostly by very young people, talking informally.
17- Slang: ¡Ámonos!
Actual Meaning & Translation:
Not really sure if this is slang or an expression, but it’s just a funny, tongue-in-cheek way of saying Vamonos, which is the first-person plural imperative of ir, which is the verb “to go”… so! In short, it’s how you say “Let’s go!” in Spanish.
Use:
You say this to rush people in a group you’re in, but it could also be used almost as a way of saying “Holy sh*t!” or something like that. It expresses amazement, surprise, and wonder.
Let’s say a friend of yours sends this photo of a massive taco he or she’s about to eat. You could text back saying ámonos! and the scream emoji.
5. Conveying Emotions with Spanish Texting Slang
18- Slang: TQM
Actual Meaning & Translation:
This one’s cute. It’s just the first letter of every word in the phrase Te quiero mucho. The literal translation is “I want you so much,” but that’s not the meaning Spanish-speakers have for it at all. I’ll explain…
Use:
In Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries, Te quiero mucho is what you say to some family members, and very close friends as if to say “I care about you” or “I love you.” The latter is te amo in Spanish, but just as in English, while it may be cool to say it to friends or family, it’s a big deal to say it to your significant other. Hence, when you haven’t reached the “‘I love you’ stage” and you need something to express affection in Spanish, we use Tqm.
In Spanish texting or internet lingo, tqm is even less serious than typing it in full. You could say it’s like when you say “luv u” to a close friend, or in a lighthearted manner to a significant other.
19- Slang: Bb
Actual Meaning & Translation:
What does the sound of two “b”s pronounced in Spanish sound like? Of course, it’s exactly like the word bebé, which is Spanish for “baby.”
Use:
You would call someone bb while texting in Spanish, only if they’re your significant other, like when you call your boyfriend/girlfriend “baby,” or when you’re talking sweetly with a close friend of either sex.
It could also be used to talk to someone in a bit of a superior manner, but with a good and kind spirit. Like if they’re confused about something and you call them bb right before explaining.
How Do You Communicate Laughter While Texting in Spanish?
Both when texting in any kind of Spanish, or writing on the internet, you write jajaja, which is simply the same as the English version “hahaha.”
“J,” in Spanish, is the same sound as the “h” in “horse,” so it’s actually closer to the way we all laugh than if you’d write “hahaha” texting in Spanish.
Nevertheless, if you do that most people will get that you’re laughing, pretty much for the same reasons that Spanish speakers can use “lol” or “rofl.”
Some variations of this include jijiji, jujuju, and jejeje.
6. Final Word About Spanish Text Lingo
It’s very much worth mentioning that all of the internet and texting slang in Spanish that we’ve shared here is rather informal. Very much like in English, it should only be used in informal settings and situations.
It’s a matter of personal taste of course. I would say that you shouldn’t write this way even on a forum or a comment section, but you may see things differently.
I’d save your new slang skills in Spanish for when you’re speaking with close interlocutors. If you’re addressing strangers and want to come off as serious, like if you’re writing an email to a stranger, a company, or something like that, don’t use these! They can say a lot about the speaker.
7. How Can SpanishPod101 Help You Learn Your Spanish Texting and Internet Slang?
If you liked this guide to the essential Spanish slang for texting and internet lingo, then feel free to find more resources, idiomatic expressions, and fun lessons on our SpanishPod101 website. We have over 1800 audio and video lessons, lively community forums, and a good combination of energetic hosts to help you with your Spanish learning needs in a fun and easy manner!
