A2 · How people really write
Chat and WhatsApp
Written Spanish on a phone looks nothing like the textbook. This is what you will see in your partner's family group, abbreviations and voice notes included.
Opening and closing
Hola, ¿cómo va todo?
Hi, how is everything going?
Safe with anyone, at any hour.
Oye, una consulta.Peruvian
Hey, quick question.
The standard way to open a request without sounding abrupt.
Cualquier cosa me escribes.Peruvian
Message me if anything comes up.
Ya, hablamos.Peruvian
Okay, talk later.
Ya at the start works as okay, not as already.
Abbreviations you will see
xfa
por favor
pq / xq
porque / por qué
tqm
te quiero mucho
bn
bien
tmb
también
salu2
saludos
q tal
qué tal
nlsPeruvian
nos vemos luego
The family group
Te mando audio, es más rápido.
I will send a voice note, it is faster.
In Latin America voice notes between family are normal. Not informality, just the norm.
Ya lo vi, ahorita respondo.Peruvian
I saw it, I will reply in a bit.
Ahorita can mean in a minute or in three hours, depending on the country and the person.
- México
- ahorita = casi nunca inmediato
- Perú
- ahorita = pronto
- Colombia
- ahorita = ya mismo
¿Nos vemos el domingo?
Shall we meet on Sunday?
Feliz cumple 🎉 que la pases lindo.
Happy birthday, have a great one.
Que + subjunctive is the formula behind every good wish.
Getting out of it
Perdón, recién veo el mensaje.Peruvian
Sorry, I am just seeing this now.
Recién with a present-tense verb is very Latin American and very useful.
Se me pasó responderte.
I forgot to reply.
The blame-free way to admit you forgot.
Estoy en algo, te escribo en un rato.
I am in the middle of something, I will write later.
Buys time without being rude.
19 expressions in this pack