What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "leave of calling." This is because dejar de is a verbal periphrasis that means "to cease" or "to stop" an action.
Which one should you use?
The direct command deja de llamar is used to tell someone to cease an action. In contrast, using no deja de llamar describes the ongoing behavior of someone who won't stop calling.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use ya no marques or no vuelvas a llamarme to mean "don't call me again." In Spain, deja de llamarme is an informal way to say "stop calling me."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase deja de llamar uses the informal imperative (tú) form. To say "stop calling me," you attach the indirect object pronoun me to the end of the infinitive llamar to form llamarme.
Did you know?
- The word llamar is a distant relative of the English words 'claim' and 'clamor'. Both words share an ancient root meaning 'to cry out'.
- The phrase deja de llamar is a command, but in many Spanish-speaking cultures, using the imperative can be seen as very aggressive. To be more polite, people often use por favor, no llames más.
- In Mexico, the verb marcar is often used instead of llamar because it literally refers to 'marking' or dialing the numbers on a phone keypad.
Examples in context
- No deja de llamarme.He won't stop calling me.This sentence shows how to describe someone who is persistently calling using deja de llamar.Tatoeba #9667555 by Shishir, translation #9770489 by DJ_Saidez
- Deja de llamarme Tom.Stop calling me Tom.This sentence uses deja de llamar to tell someone to stop using a specific name.Tatoeba #9700344 by Shishir, translation #1860601 by CK
- Ella no deja de llamarme y de mandarme mensajes.She won't stop calling and texting me.This sentence uses deja de llamar to describe someone who is continuously calling and texting.Tatoeba #3773909 by cueyayotl, translation #3062184 by Hybrid
- Por favor, pare de llamarme inmediatamente.Please, stop calling me immediately.
- Le agradecería que dejara de llamarme.I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro is upset because Elena keeps calling him late at night.
- Alejandro¡Deja de llamar a mi casa a estas horas!Stop calling my house at these hours!
- ElenaSolo quería hablar contigo un momento.I only wanted to talk to you for a moment.
- AlejandroNo, de verdad, deja de llamar.No, seriously, stop calling.
- ElenaEstá bien, lo entiendo. Lo siento.Okay, I understand. I'm sorry.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, deja, llamar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
