What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te devolveremos la llamada literally means "we will return to you the call", composed of te (to you), devolveremos (we will return) and la llamada (the call).
Which one should you use?
You might use te llamamos luego in conversational settings among friends to imply a near-future action. Other variations include le llamaremos más tarde for a formal tone or Te llamamos más tarde for an informal tone.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, a common alternative is te damos un toque. In some Latin American countries, you may hear the variations te llamamos después or te devolvemos la llamada.
How does it change in a sentence?
To adjust the phrase for different people, change the object pronoun. Use le instead of te to address a single person formally, such as a customer. If you are addressing a group of people, use os in Spain for an informal setting or use les in Latin America or when being formal in Spain. For example, os devolveremos la llamada is used for an informal group in Spain, while les devolveremos la llamada is used for a formal group or in Latin America.
How do you pronounce it?
/te debolbeɾemos la ʝamada/
Did you know?
- The verb devolver in te devolveremos la llamada means 'to return' an object, treating a telephone call as if it were a physical item being handed back.
- The word llamar is used not only for telephones but also to name a baby or assign a title to someone.
- The word la in la llamada evolved from the Latin illa, which originally functioned as the feminine singular form of 'that'.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señor Martínez. No podemos atender su solicitud en este momento, pero le llamaremos más tarde para brindarle más información.Good morning, Mr. Martinez. We cannot attend to your request at this moment, but we will call you back later to provide you with more information.
- Gracias por su llamada, señora García. Nos pondremos en contacto con usted para proporcionarle una respuesta lo antes posible.Thank you for your call, Mrs. Garcia. We will get in touch with you to provide you with a response as soon as possible.
- Hola, Juan. Estamos ocupados ahora mismo, pero te llamamos más tarde para contarte los detalles.Hi, Juan. We are busy right now, but we will call you back later to tell you the details.
- Te devolveremos la llamada en unos minutos.We will call you back in a few minutes.
- No podemos hablar ahora, te devolveremos la llamada.We cannot talk now, we will call you back.
- Espera un momento, te devolveremos la llamada más tarde.Wait a moment, we will call you back later.
Example conversation
Elena is calling a clinic to ask about an appointment.
- DanielHola, Elena. Estamos revisando el horario ahora mismo.Hello, Elena. We are checking the schedule right now.
- Elena¿Me pueden confirmar la hora hoy?Can you confirm the time for me today?
- DanielSí, te devolveremos la llamada en diez minutos.Yes, we will call you back in ten minutes.
- ElenaPerfecto, Daniel. Estaré esperando su llamada.Perfect, Daniel. I will be waiting for your call.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
