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Abbreviations in spoken English

If you use a corporate chat, then you probably sinned at least once with abbreviations like “plz”, “plz”. There are also many informal abbreviations in English:

• AFAIK (as far as I know) - as far as I know;
• AFAIR (as far as I remember) - as far as I remember;
• BRB (be right back) - I will be back soon, I will be back soon;
• BTW (by the way) - by the way, by the way;
• CU (see you) - see you, see you. In this abbreviation, the letter C is written, not S;
• DS (document signed) - the document is signed;
• F2F meeting (face-to-face meeting) – personal meeting;
• HAND (have a nice day) - have a nice day;
• IMO (in my opinion), IMHO (in my humble opinion) - in my (humble) opinion;
• JK (just kidding) - just kidding, just a joke;
• NP (no problem) - no problem, no problem;
• PLZ, PLS (please) - please;
• THX, THNQ, TY (thank you) - спасибо (тебе);
• TTYL (talk to you later) - I'll talk to you later;
• TYT (take your time) - do not rush.

These abbreviations are not an example of a business style, but since the modern office is not only emails, but also interaction with a client in instant messengers and on other platforms or in social networks, such abbreviations may be quite appropriate in these realities, especially among young people.

Latin FYI

It is worth paying attention to several abbreviations from Latin that are actively used in written English today:

• (et cetera) - and others, and the like, and so on. It is important not to forget to put a period, otherwise it will be considered an error;
• eg (exempli gratia) - for example;
• ie (id est) - that is;
• vs, vv (versus) - against;
• CV (curriculum vitae) - biography, brief information about life. In fact, this is a summary, although there are differences between them;
• NB (nota bene) - pay attention. Usually placed at the beginning of a sentence before an important fact;
• am (ante meridiem), pm (post meridiem) - the time before and after noon, respectively. Important point: noon is 12 am and midnight is 12 pm And the second important point: we do not use the word o'clock with am / pm;
• PS (postscript) - usually one sentence below the signature with additional information. Sometimes you can also find PPS (Post Post Script).

FYI terms of use

"TNX 4 ur advice" or "Thanks for your advice"? Too many abbreviations in one sentence look at least difficult to understand. Therefore, FYI does not always lead to successful communication. Remember the rules for their use.

1. Before using certain abbreviations or abbreviations in correspondence, make sure that your interlocutor understands their meaning in the same way as you.
2. Do not abbreviate important information, abbreviations and acronyms a la FYI should be appropriate.
3. Do not use abbreviations of highly specialized vocabulary.
4. If you are writing a letter for the first time, it is best not to use FYI at all. All abbreviations are appropriate if contact with partners has already been established. Why? First impressions carry a lot of weight in the business world. Your clients may simply think that you were too lazy to write the whole phrase, were in a hurry, copied the letter, etc.
5. Feel free to ask about the meaning of some abbreviation if suddenly Google did not help you. It may also be that there is a typo in the letter.

We hope that this excursion into the world of abbreviations will help you navigate confidently among English-speaking partners and clients.