How to Say "To Call" in Spanish

llamar

/ʝaˈmaɾ/

To call in Spanish is llamar.

The most common and versatile verb to say "to call" in Spanish is llamar, specifically used to mean contacting someone by telephone. You can use related phrases such as Para llamar a alguien (To call someone), Para hacer una llamada (To make a call) or Para recibir una llamada (To receive a call). Other useful expressions include Marcar un número (To dial a number), ¿Me marcas? (Will you call me?) and ¿Puedes marcarme? (Can you dial me?). If you want to describe the act of calling by phone specifically, you can say Voy a llamar por teléfono (I am going to call by phone). To say you are currently in the middle of a call, use Estoy haciendo una llamada (I am making a call). If a call has just occurred, you might say Acabo de recibir una llamada (I just received a call) or Me llamaron hace unos minutos (They called me a few minutes ago). Additionally, the expression dar un toque can be used to convey the idea of giving someone a call without fully engaging in a conversation, such as in Voy a darte un toque (I'm going to give you a call) or Me dio un toque (He/she gave me a call).

Which one should you use?

The verb llamar is used both for contacting someone by telephone and for naming or calling someone (for example, lo llaman Juan for "they call him Juan"). While llamar is the standard, you can also use the noun llamada to mean "a call" (as in a telephone call).

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For a more formal way to say "to call" or "to contact someone", you can use the verb comunicarse. For example, you might say Comunicarse con alguien (To call/contact someone) or Quiero comunicarme contigo (I want to call/contact you).

Is it said differently in some regions?

In some Latin American countries, the phrase llamar por teléfono (to call by phone) can also be expressed as llamar al teléfono or llamar al celular.

How does it change in a sentence?

When you are calling a specific person, you must use the preposition a before the person's name or pronoun, such as in the phrase llamar a [persona]. The noun form for "a call" is llamada.

How do you pronounce it?

llamar is pronounced /ʝaˈmaɾ/.

What mistakes should you avoid?

English speakers often forget the "personal a" when calling someone. Avoid saying "llamar Tom" and instead use llamar a Tom.

Did you know?

The Spanish verb llamar shares the same root as the English word 'claim'. They both descend from the Latin word 'clamare', which originally meant 'to cry out'.
The verb llamar is used in the reflexive form llamarse to say what your name is, effectively saying you 'call yourself' by that name.
While llamar means to call, if you want to 'call' someone's bluff or 'call' a meeting, Spanish uses entirely different verbs like desenmascarar or convocar.

Examples in context

Iba a llamar a Tom.
I was going to call Tom.
This sentence uses the form llamar to show an intention to call someone.
Tatoeba #4439026 by Shishir, translation #2546166 by CK
Se me pasó llamarte.
I forgot to call you.
This sentence uses the form llamar to express forgetting to call someone.
Tatoeba #8195148 by arh, translation #3918999 by CK
Se me olvidó llamarte.
It slipped my mind to call you.
This sentence uses the form llamar to express that calling someone slipped your mind.
Tatoeba #8195152 by arh, translation #8271910 by lunchmeat317
143 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Lucía and Alejandro are discussing their afternoon plans.

Lucía

¿Vas a llamar a Juan?
Are you going to call Juan?
Alejandro

Sí, lo voy a llamar en un momento.
Yes, I am going to call him in a moment.
Lucía

Dile que estamos listos.
Tell him we are ready.
Alejandro

Perfecto, yo lo llamo ahora mismo.
Perfect, I will call him right now.

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.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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How to Say “To Call” in Spanish