Common Abbreviations

Level 4

Common short forms: wgl. (wannechgelift, please), asw. (an esou weider, and so on), z. B. (zum Beispill, for example), d. h. (dat heescht, that is). You read them aloud as the full words.

How It Works

1. Everyday abbreviations

  • wgl. = wannechgelift (please)
  • asw. = an esou weider or a sou weider (and so on, etc.)
  • z. B. = zum Beispill (for example)
  • d. h. = dat heescht (that is, i.e.)
  • ë. a. = ënner anerem (among other things), ca. = zirka (about)
  • Nr. = Nummer, Tel. = Telefonsnummer, S. = Säit (page), Dr. = Dokter

2. Full stops and spaces
An abbreviation that is read as full words gets a full stop. If it stands for several words, write a full stop after each part and a space between them: z. B., d. h., ë. a.. The exception is asw., which has only one full stop.

3. Capital letters
Each letter is written as it would be in the full words, so a noun keeps its capital: z. B. (Beispill is a noun), S. 11 (Säit).

4. Wgl. and w.e.g.
The official spelling rules (2019) write wannechgelift as one word, and its short form is wgl.. You will still often see the older form w.e.g., from the old spelling wann ech gelift, in older texts and signs.

5. Letter words
Short forms read letter by letter have no full stops and are written in capitals: CFL, RTL, EU. Their plural adds a small -en: DVDen. Short forms read as a word get only a first capital: d'Uno, d'Nato.

6. The n-rule
Before an abbreviation, the n-rule follows how it is read aloud (see n-rule with numbers and abbreviations): den Dr. Weber.

Examples (6)

  1. Äntwert mir wgl. bis Freideg.

    Please answer me by Friday.

    wgl. is read as wannechgelift.

  2. Mir brauchen Uebst, z. B. Äppel, Banannen an Drauwen.

    We need fruit, for example apples, bananas and grapes.

    z. B. is read as zum Beispill.

  3. Mir hunn Hefter, Bicher, Bläistëfter asw. kaaft.

    We bought notebooks, books, pencils and so on.

    asw. is read as an esou weider.

  4. Hien ass eréischt 16, d. h. hie kann nach net wielen.

    He is only 16, that is, he cannot vote yet.

    d. h. is read as dat heescht.

  5. Et waren ca. 200 Leit do.

    There were about 200 people there.

  6. Den Dr. Weber ass haut net do.

    Dr Weber is not here today.

    The n of den stays because Dr. is read as Dokter.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the space in a two-part abbreviation.

    Mir brauchen Uebst, z.B. Äppel.
    Mir brauchen Uebst, z. B. Äppel.

    An abbreviation of several words has a full stop and a space after each part.

  • Writing asw. with several full stops.

    Hefter, Bicher a.s.w.
    Hefter, Bicher asw.

    asw. is an exception: it has only one full stop at the end.

  • Writing the noun letter in lower case.

    Mir brauchen Uebst, z. b. Äppel.
    Mir brauchen Uebst, z. B. Äppel.

    B stands for the noun Beispill, so it keeps its capital letter.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Common AbbreviationsLevel 4

Learn This First

Before Common Abbreviations, learn Thank You and Please and Nouns Are Capitalized.

Words in This Pattern

an esou weiderBeispillzumheeschen