querer llamar
/keɾeɾ ʝamaɾ/from spelling rules
To want to call in Spanish is querer llamar.
The phrase expresses a desire to contact someone by telephone. When you are calling a person, you must use the preposition a after the verb llamar, such as in llamar a María. You may also use the more specific synonym querer telefonear to express the desire to telephone someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb querer must be conjugated to match the subject of your sentence, while llamar remains in its infinitive form. For example, use quiero llamar for 'I want to call', quieres llamar for 'you want to call' (informal), quiere llamar for 'he/she/you (formal) wants to call' and queremos llamar for 'we want to call'.
How do you pronounce it?
/keɾeɾ ʝamaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the infinitive form querer llamar instead of a conjugated form like quiero llamar or quieres llamar when they intend to say 'I want to call' or 'you want to call'.
Did you know?
- The verb querer is used for both 'wanting' an object and 'loving' a person. Depending on the context, quiero llamar could imply a deep emotional longing to contact someone.
- In Spanish, llamar also means 'to name'. If you say me llamo, you are literally saying 'I call myself'.
- The verb llamar originally meant 'to cry out' or 'to shout', a meaning preserved in the English words 'claim' and 'clamor'.
Examples in context
- ¿Estás segura de querer llamar a la policía? le pregunté."Are you sure you want to call the police?" I asked her.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of the phrase querer llamar in a question.Tatoeba #564536 by Shishir, translation #73526 by ddnktr
- Ella no parece querer llamar a su madre.She doesn't seem to want to call her mother.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries llamar, querer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
