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- Titles used before someone's name when speaking to or about them. They are generally followed by the person's surname, or first name and surname. They can also be followed by the person's professional title, without the name: señor arquitecto, señora doctora, señorita maestra. They can be used on their own to attract attention. In letters they can be followed by the appropriate forms of Don/Doña don/doña Sr. Dn Juan Montesinos, Sra Dña. Ana Castellón.
The full forms are written in lower case when used in the middle of a sentence; the abbreviated forms are always capitalized - for señor, Sr., for señora, Sra., and for señorita, Srta.
Señor is used for men. Señores, can mean "sirs", "gentlemen", and "ladies and gentlemen", and when used of a married couple means "Mr and Mrs": los señores Montesino. Señora is used for married women and widows, and women of unknown marital status. Señorita is used for single women, young women of unknown marital status, and female teachers.
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- The words don, for men, and doña, for women, are courtesy titles used before someone's name, when they are being spoken or written to. They are used for someone who is senior professionally, in age or socially. Doña is usually used only for married or widowed women, except in official documents, when it refers to any woman.
Don and doña always precede a person's first name. "¿Se va ya, don Juan?" When talking about a third person you can use don and doña before their first name, which is followed by their surname: "Don Juan Montesinos". In correspondence, don and doña can be abbreviated to D. and Dn., or Dña. and Da , respectively, and can be preceded by the appropriate title señor or señora: "Sr. Dn. Juan Montesinos"; "Sra. Dña. Ana Castellón".


- surname
- apellido m

