llamar la atención
/ʝaˌmaɾ la atenˈθjon/
The phrase "catch your eye" is translated into Spanish as llamar la atención.
This phrase is used both for visual attraction (catching an eye) and for general interest or notice.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "to call the attention".
How does it change in a sentence?
To say "it catches my eye", you change the indirect object pronoun to 'me' ( me llama la atención). The pronoun 'le' is used to express that something catches his, her or your (formal) eye ( le llama la atención).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝaˌmaɾ la atenˈθjon/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, llamar la atención can also mean to scold or reprimand someone, depending on the context.
- While llamar la atención means to catch the eye, the word llamar is also used to describe a 'striking' or 'flashy' color, such as un color llamativo.
- The word atención comes from the Latin 'attendere', which literally means 'to stretch toward'.
Examples in context
- Esa pintura abstracta llama la atención de los visitantes.That abstract painting catches the attention of the visitors.
- La belleza del paisaje logra captar tu mirada.The beauty of the landscape manages to catch your eye.
- Los anuncios publicitarios tienen la misión de atraer la atención del público.Advertisements have the mission of catching the public's eye.
- Antes de comprar un celular, siempre le echo el ojo a las características.Before buying a cellphone, I always check out the features.
- El color rojo intenso de su vestido me llamó la atención.The intense red color of her dress caught my eye.
- En el museo, las esculturas modernas suelen captar mi mirada.In the museum, modern sculptures tend to catch my eye.
- No puedo evitar echarle el ojo a los dulces en la pastelería.I can't help but check out the sweets at the bakery.
- Ese color me llama la atención.That color catches my eye.
- Ese cuadro me empezó a llamar la atención.That painting started to catch my eye.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry llamar la atención, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries atención, la, llamar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
