Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, you might use phrases like Por favor, responda a mi mensaje, Le agradecería si pudiera responder a mi texto or Quedo a la espera de su respuesta a mi mensaje.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Spanish-speaking countries, it is common in colloquial speech to substitute the generic word for message with the specific app name, such as contesta el WhatsApp.
How does it change in a sentence?
To change the request from a single text to multiple texts, change the singular 'mensaje' to the plural 'mensajes' and the singular 'mi' to the plural 'mis', resulting in contesta mis mensajes. In natural spoken Spanish, it is also very common to attach the indirect object pronoun 'me' to the verb to explicitly mean 'answer me', as in contéstame el mensaje.
Did you know?
- The verb contestar can be used to describe 'talking back' or arguing with an authority figure, such as a parent or teacher.
- Because the imperative mood used in contesta mi mensaje is so direct, the request can sound like an aggressive demand if you do not add por favor.
- The verb contestar shares an ancient root with the English word 'contest', as both stem from the Latin 'contestari', meaning to bear witness or declare.
Examples in context
- Por favor, responda a mi mensaje anterior con respecto al proyecto de marketing.Please, respond to my previous message regarding the marketing project.
- Por favor, contesta mi mensaje de ayer.Please, answer my text from yesterday.
- Te escribí hace una hora, contesta mi mensaje.I wrote to you an hour ago, answer my text.
- Necesito saber qué piensas, contesta mi mensaje.I need to know what you think, answer my text.
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking on the phone because she is ignoring his messages.
- DanielHola Lucía, contesta mi mensaje, por favor.Hello Lucía, answer my text, please.
- LucíaLo siento, Daniel, no había visto el teléfono.I'm sorry, Daniel, I hadn't seen my phone.
- DanielEstá bien, pero no me dejes en visto.It's okay, but don't leave me on read.
- LucíaLo tendré en cuenta, lo siento mucho.I'll keep that in mind, I'm very sorry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries contesta, mensaje, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
