Have you ever received a text from a girl and wondered “What the hell does that mean?” Or she may have received a text and is wondering if she said the wrong thing.

If you were talking to her in person, you could read her movements, her tone of voice, and her body language. But on the text you only have her words, so you must pay attention and decipher them. So while she works on her texting skills and learns what to say to her, spend some time learning to read the meaning of what she replies.

Here are some common elements of girl texts that will help you decipher your conversations.

exclamation points – This sign of enthusiasm is a good thing, and it means that you are generating positive energy with it. If she’s so excited about her responses that you’re doing something right, keep it up!

Question marks – Obviously, if she’s asking you a question, that’s one thing, but question marks appear when there isn’t really a question, for example, if she texts you “See you later?” it means that she is not quite sure what is going on or that she is confused. She needs to lead harder and be clearer.

“What’s the matter?” – This is an opener that really means that she wants some attention. It’s not as good a sign as “You should come over” or “Let’s go for a walk,” but it does mean that she wants your attention. As long as you’ve stayed out of the friend zone, this is a positive sign.

“Later” – If she’s just a friend (bad thing), then it’s pretty normal for her to text you “Later”. In any other case, it’s a bit casual, and she tells me that you haven’t built up enough sexual tension in the conversation for her to really be interested in you. She works on it.

“Umm…” – In a natural conversation, most people will pause and think with a “Ummm…” (that I hate). However, when girls text him, it’s a very bad sign. Chances are you’ve crossed her line and proposed something she just isn’t comfortable with. Avoid, make a joke about it, do something to diffuse and redirect the conversation.

“Really?” – This one can go in any direction. If you have just proposed something that excites her, it is positive. On the other hand, it could also be used sarcastically after proposing something that doesn’t interest her or, even worse, that discourages her. Again, if you’ve gone too far, you can always follow her “really?” with “Of course not. Where’s your sense of humor?” or something like that.

“Let’s take a walk” – Listen to me, nothing is more romantic for a girl than a quiet walk, hand in hand with the boy she likes. It’s ingrained in them from childhood, it’s in the shows they watch and it’s how they bond with the kids. If she asks, GO! No excuses, just get your butt in gear!

Nicknames – That girls give you nicknames is a show of affection as long as it is something nice. Not all girls do, but if you’re texting a girl and she starts calling you a nickname, that’s a good sign. Unless, of course, you start them too quickly. In that case, she may be a Class A stalker or stalker-in-training.

Now none of this is going to apply to every woman or every text conversation you have with a girl. It’s a good set of guidelines to start building your skill at interpreting girls’ text messages and a way to increase your awareness of the underlying meaning women put into their text messages.