colloquialmente

Colloquialmente is an adverb in Spanish used to indicate that something is expressed in a colloquial manner. It signals informal speech or writing, characterized by everyday vocabulary, familiar syntax, and often contractions, in contrast with formal, literary, or technical language.

The term is derived from the adjective coloquial, which stems from Latin roots related to conversation (colloquium) and has evolved through Romance languages into modern Spanish. The adverb is formed by adding the suffix -mente to coloquial, yielding coloquialmente in standard usage.

In usage, colloquialmente appears in linguistic descriptions, journalism, and pedagogy to note register rather than to dictate style. It is broader than slang, describing general informality that is widely understood, while slang refers to words or expressions tied to specific groups or communities.

Examples: Colloquialmente, se dice “¿Qué tal?” para saludar, indicating an informal greeting. Este texto está escrito coloquialmente, describing a style that uses everyday language rather than formal diction. In educational or rhetorical contexts, authors may contrast phrases or sentences marked as coloquialmente with those in a more formal tone to illustrate differences in register.

See also: lenguaje coloquial, registro lingüístico, coloquialismo, jerga.