llaman
/ʝaman/from spelling rules
llaman is the Spanish way to say "they call" or "you all call".
This verb is used to describe the action of calling someone, such as calling them by name or calling them on the telephone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form llaman is the third-person plural present tense.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝaman/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you say llaman a la puerta, it does not mean they are telephoning, but rather that someone is physically knocking on the door.
- When asking for someone's name, the phrase ¿Cómo se llaman? is used. It literally translates to 'How do they call themselves?' rather than 'What is their name?'
- While llaman can mean 'they call', in certain contexts like 'llaman la atención', it translates to 'they attract' or 'they draw', specifically referring to attention.
Examples in context
- Señor, ¿me llaman?Sir, are they calling me?
- Señora, llaman a su puerta.Madam, someone is calling at your door.
- ¡Oye! ¡Te llaman por teléfono!Hey! They are calling you on the phone!
- ¡Te llaman desde la puerta!They are calling you from the door!
- ¡Mira, te están llamando al móvil!Look, they are calling you on your cell phone!
- Veo que te están llamando por Skype.I see that they are calling you on Skype.
- Ellos me llaman mucho por teléfono.They call me on the phone a lot.
- Mis padres me llaman cada domingo.My parents call me every Sunday.
- ¿Cómo llaman a este animal en tu país?What do they call this animal in your country?
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are discussing family communication.
- Sofía¿Tus hermanos te llaman a menudo?Do your brothers call you often?
- JavierSí, ellos me llaman casi todos los días.Yes, they call me almost every day.
- SofíaQué bueno que te llaman tanto.It is good that they call you so much.
- JavierSí, siempre me llaman para saber cómo estoy.Yes, they always call me to see how I am.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
