llamar
/ʝaˈmaɾ/
To contact someone by telephone in Spanish is llamar.
The term llamar is used to express the act of contacting someone via a telephone. Depending on the context, it can also mean to name or call someone something.
Which one should you use?
The verb llamar is versatile. It can mean 'to call' in the sense of telephoning, or 'to call/name' in the sense of assigning a name or a label to someone or something.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are calling a person, you must use the preposition a before the person being called (for example, llamar a Juan). This is a grammatical requirement known as the 'personal a'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝaˈmaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include the 'personal a' when referring to a person. Avoid saying llamar Juan and instead use llamar a Juan to call a person.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, instead of saying 'I will call you' (te llamaré), people often use the phrase te doy un toque, which literally means 'I will give you a touch'.
- While llamar means to call someone on the phone, if you want to say you are 'calling' a taxi or a cab, you often use the verb pedir, which literally means 'to ask for'.
- While llamar is used for phones today, it evolved from the Latin word clāmāre, which meant 'to cry out'.
Examples in context
- Te llamo más tarde.I'll call you later.
- Voy a llamar a mi madre ahora.I am going to call my mother now.
- ¿Puedes llamar al médico, por favor?Can you call the doctor, please?
- Ella me va a llamar esta tarde.She is going to call me this afternoon.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are in their living room during the evening.
- DanielSofía, ¿puedes llamar a tu hermana?Sofía, can you call your sister?
- SofíaSí, voy a llamar a mi hermana ahora.Yes, I am going to call my sister now.
- DanielPerfecto, dile que estamos bien.Perfect, tell her that we are fine.
- SofíaEstá bien, Daniel, lo haré.Okay, Daniel, I will do it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry llamar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries llamar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
