tiene el número equivocado
/tjene el numeɾo ekibokado/from spelling rules
To say "you have the wrong phone number" in Spanish, use tiene el número equivocado.
This phrase is used to inform a caller that they have dialed or called the incorrect telephone number.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, tiene el número equivocado translates to "you have the mistaken number".
Which one should you use?
The phrase se ha equivocado de número is another common way to express this, which uses the reflexive verb equivocarse to mean "you have mistaken the number".
How does it change in a sentence?
In informal settings, use tienes el número equivocado instead of tiene el número equivocado.
Did you know?
- While equivocado means 'wrong' in the context of a phone number, it shares a root with the English word 'equivocate', which means to use ambiguous language to hide the truth.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, if a stranger calls you and you realize it is a mistake, it is considered polite to say lo siento or 'I am sorry' immediately after informing them of the error.
- The word número shares a common ancestor with the English word 'name', as both derive from the Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to allot' or 'to assign'.
Examples in context
- Lo siento, pero usted tiene el número equivocado.I am sorry, but you have the wrong number.
- Creo que tiene el número equivocado, señor.I think you have the wrong number, sir.
- Disculpe, tiene el número equivocado.Excuse me, you have the wrong number.
Example conversation
Alejandro calls a stranger by mistake.
- SofíaHola, ¿está María?Hello, is María there?
- AlejandroNo vive ninguna María aquí, tiene el número equivocado.No María lives here, you have the wrong number.
- SofíaOh, lo siento mucho.Oh, I am very sorry.
- AlejandroNo hay problema, que tenga un buen día.No problem, have a nice day.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries el, equivocado, número, CC BY-SA 4.0.
