Complete Guide to Common Spanish Address Abbreviations
For many people living in Spain, seeing a bunch of abbreviations when mailing letters or filling out forms can be confusing, as in Spanish address format. These abbreviations actually follow clear patterns, and once you master them, writing addresses or finding locations becomes much smoother.
Common Road Type Abbreviations
In the cities and towns of Spain, road type abbreviations are almost everywhere in addresses. Here are a few common ones:
| Abbreviation | Spanish Full Form |
|---|
| C/ | Calle |
| Avda. | Avenida |
| Pl. | Plaza |
| Pº | Paseo |
| Rda. | Ronda |
Once you know these, for example, “C/ Mayor, 15” immediately makes sense as “15 Mayor Street”. Convenient and time-saving.
Building and Floor Abbreviations
In Spain, many addresses also include shortened forms for floors and door numbers, which are also common:
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|
| N.º | Número |
| Esc. | Escalera |
| Pta. | Puerta |
| 1º | Primero |
| 2º | Segundo |
For example: “Avda. de la Constitución, N.º 120, Esc. B, 2º, Pta. 3” means “120 Constitución Avenue, Staircase B, 2nd Floor, Door 3”. Beginners may find these symbols confusing, but with practice they become second nature.
Administrative and Postal Abbreviations
Each autonomous community and province in Spain has its own abbreviation for addresses, especially for inter-regional mail:
| Abbreviation | Administrative Area |
|---|
| BCN | Barcelona |
| MAD | Madrid |
| SEV | Sevilla |
| VLL | Valladolid |
| ZGZ | Zaragoza |
Postal codes are also vital, usually five digits long; for example, 28013 refers to the central area of Madrid. Don’t forget them when sending parcels.
Tips for Writing Addresses
- Road type abbreviations usually go at the beginning, such as C/ or Avda.
- Floor and door details are very common in Spain; most forms require them.
- Combining postal code with province abbreviation helps the postal system sort mail efficiently.
- When handwriting, periods and slashes are common separators.
Community Experience Sharing
If you have come across especially long or unusual address abbreviations in your daily life, feel free to reply and share them here to help others avoid mistakes in deliveries or documents. Some Spanish address local court addresses abbreviations can even exceed two lines, which is quite amusing.
