In the U.S., when people from the Dominican Republic speak of their country, they commonly say "the D.R." -- when they're speaking in English. I'd like to know how Dominicans speak of the D.R. when speaking in Spanish. Obviously, they could say "la República Dominicana" but this would get tiresome in a conversation after a few repetitions.
asked Feb 18, 2017 at 4:38
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1 Answer
Unlike Spanish, English has a strong, widespread tendency to use abbreviations whenever possible. No such thing happens in Spanish. We could say, practically as a joke to imitate the English abbreviation, things like: "Vive en USA," but this is only allowed in colloquial language. Also, unlike other abbreviations like UK, the initials "USA" form a word that can be pronounced in Spanish as if it were a word in the language.
Surfing the Internet, I just confirmed my suspicion that "Dominicana" can be used as a short form for "República Dominicana."
Notice, however, that the official name is as specified here. In documents from that country I have often seen "R.D.", but this will occur in writing, not in speech.
You can say: "Cuando vivía en la República Dominicana...," or "Cuando vivía en República Dominicana...," or "Cuando vivía en Dominicana..."
In writing only, you can say, "Esto solo se aplica al entrar en R.D."
answered Feb 18, 2017 at 20:06
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Thank you. I need just a bit more clarity. I know I can say, "Me fui para los Estados," "Me fui para los Estados Unidos," or "Me fui para Estados Unidos." Analogously, are the following all possible? "Me fui para la Dominicana," "Me fui para la República Dominicana," or "Me fui para República Dominicana"? Commented Feb 18, 2017 at 21:34
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@aparente001 We prefer "a" rather than "para" to indicate destination in Spanish. I've never heard anyone say "Me fui para / a los Estados" to mean that they went to the U.S. "la Dominicana" is wrong. You can say "la República Dominicana", "República Dominicana", or just "Dominicana". Commented Feb 18, 2017 at 21:46
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Thank you, do you mind if I edit the answer to include this additional information? // This preposition in this context is common in Mexico in my experience. Also, there is so much back-and-forth between Mexico and U.S. that people do often abbreviate as in my example. (My problem is I never know what expressions I use are nonstandard....) // One more question, when you see "R.D." in documents, would that be with or without the article, or would either way work? Commented Feb 18, 2017 at 21:52
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@aparente001 No problem, go ahead. As for "para", I didn't say it was wrong. You may be right that it is more common than "a" in Mexico and Central America. Commented Feb 18, 2017 at 21:56
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I don't know that it's more common, but it's common enough to be in my ear. // In documents, is it "la R.D." or just "R.D.", or would either one work? // Hope I got the edit right. Commented Feb 18, 2017 at 21:58