WhatsApp, voice notes and texting in Spain

Terms used

• AMPA — The AMPA is a school's parents' association, which often runs the parent WhatsApp groups.
• Burofax — A burofax is a formal delivery service that proves what you sent and when, used for legal notices.
• Comunidad de vecinos — The comunidad de vecinos is the owners' association of a building.
• Administrador — The administrador is the professional who manages a building's shared matters for the comunidad de vecinos.

Key rules

• Formal matters: Do not rely on WhatsApp for formal notices or contracts; official bodies and banks prefer email, phone, apps or portals.
• Voice notes: Keep voice notes short and put addresses, numbers, dates and amounts in text.
• Register: Use usted with officials, older people and landlords you do not know until they invite you to use tú.
• Group chats: Reply privately on individual matters and avoid late-night and weekend posts.

WhatsApp is the default channel

Expect landlords, estate agents, plumbers, electricians, school parent groups (AMPA), class groups and neighbour groups to contact you on WhatsApp. Get it set up on your Spanish number early.

Official bodies and banks still prefer email, phone, apps or online portals. A formal notice or contract may still need email or burofax, so do not rely on WhatsApp for those. The FAQ below covers this.

Voice notes

Voice notes (notas de voz, or "audios") are very common with friends and family. They suit casual chat. They suit formal contacts much less.

• Keep them short. Long audios annoy people.
• Put details in text: addresses, numbers, dates and amounts.
• Use text with landlords you do not know and with senior contacts.
• Before you send one, think about whether the other person can listen right now.

If you receive audios you cannot follow, turn on transcripts and use playback speed. The checklist below gives the exact steps. Transcripts work on Android and iPhone, and Spanish is supported. Which languages you get depends on your device and app version.

Group chats

Greet with "Buenos días" or "Buenas tardes" when you post, and sign off politely. Then follow these norms:

• Many people mute school and building groups, so do not expect instant replies.
• Avoid late-night and weekend messages, especially in work groups.
• For a personal matter, reply privately instead of posting in the group.
• A thumbs-up or "gracias" is enough to acknowledge a message. Too many "ok" replies annoy people.
• Keep chains, memes and spam out of school and building groups.
• Admins often set rules, so read them first.

In a building group (comunidad de vecinos), use the chat for practical notices. Formal decisions go through the administrador and the owners' meetings, not the chat.

The decision below helps you choose between a voice note, text, a private reply and a group post.

Tú or usted, and how to open and close

Use usted and a formal tone with officials, landlords you do not know and tradespeople. Safe openings and closings:

• Formal: "Estimado/a señor/a García:" and close with "Atentamente" or "Cordialmente".
• Everyday formal: "Buenos días," or "Buenas tardes," and close with "Un saludo".
• Ongoing relationship with a tradesperson or landlord: "Hola, buenos días" with usted, and "Gracias, un saludo".

Use tú with friends and peers. Open with "Hola, ¿qué tal?" or "Buenas". Close with "Un abrazo" or "Hasta luego". Younger people and many workplaces move to tú quickly. With older people and officials, stay with usted until they invite you to switch, for example "puedes tutearme".

Reading casual Spanish texts

Laughter is written "jajaja" or "jaja". The Spanish j sounds like an English h. "Jejeje" is a mischievous laugh and "jijiji" a giggle. "Jajajaja" or "JAJAJA" is strong laughter. Young people also use "lol" and "xD".

In casual texts people usually drop the opening ¿ and ¡ and often skip accents, capitals and full stops. Do not copy this in formal messages. Keep correct accents and punctuation there.

The resource below lists more abbreviations and expressions.

Choosing between options

Should you answer in a voice note, in text, or privately instead of in the group?

• Send a voice note: You are chatting with friends or family, the message is short and casual, and the person can listen.

• Send text: The person is a landlord you do not know, a senior contact, or the message has addresses, numbers, dates or amounts.

• Reply privately: The matter concerns only you and one person, so it does not belong in a school, building or work group.

• Post in the group: The message is useful to everyone, such as a practical notice, and you start with a greeting like "Buenos días".

Use text whenever the message has details that must be exact or the person is formal. Use a voice note only for short, casual messages. Keep individual matters out of the group.

Checklist

• Keep voice notes short, because long audios annoy people in Spain.

• Write addresses, numbers, dates and amounts in text instead of saying them in a voice note.

• Turn on transcripts in Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts, then choose Spanish.

• Long-press a voice message you receive and tap Transcribe to read it instead of listening.

• Use playback speed to get through a long audio faster.

WhatsApp abbreviations and expressions used in Spain

Spanish texting is fast and informal. Use this list to decode what friends send you. Keep it for friends only: with a landlord, an official or an office, write in full words with correct accents and punctuation.

Shorthand for common words

Short phrases

How people write laughter

The Spanish letter j sounds like the English h, so "jaja" is read as "haha".

• jaja, jajaja: normal laughter.
• JAJAJA, jajajaja: strong laughter. More letters and capitals mean a bigger laugh.
• jejeje: a mischievous laugh.
• jijiji: a giggle.
• lol, xD: used mostly by younger people.
• Laughing emoji are also common.

Punctuation and accents

Texts often look "wrong" on purpose. Informal messages usually have:

• No opening ¿ or ¡. Only the closing? or! is left, as in English.
• Missing accents, so "mañana" may appear as "manana" and "también" as "tambien".
• No capital letters and no full stops.

Don't read this as rudeness or poor Spanish. It is the normal style between friends. Formal messages keep the accents and punctuation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use WhatsApp for formal notices to a landlord or an office?

No, WhatsApp is fine for everyday chat, but formal notices and contracts may still need email or burofax (a registered letter). Banks and official bodies usually prefer email, phone, their apps or online portals. Use WhatsApp to arrange things and email to put them on record.

How do I write laughter in a Spanish message?

Write "jajaja" or "jaja", because the Spanish j sounds like English h. Use "jejeje" for a mischievous laugh and "jijiji" for a giggle. Laughing emoji are also common.

Why do Spanish texts often lack accents and the opening ¿ or ¡?

In informal texting people usually drop the opening ¿ and ¡ and keep only the closing? or!. Accents, capitals and full stops are often skipped too.

Should I use tú or usted when texting a tradesperson?

Use usted with tradespeople, landlords you do not know and officials, until they invite you to use tú ("puedes tutearme"). "Hola, buenos días" with usted and "Gracias, un saludo" works well in an ongoing relationship. With friends and younger people, tú is normal.