Today we will learn how to make phone calls in Spanish. In order to do that, we will learn basic vocabulary and phrases that are specifically used in phone conversations. Take a look at the blog of our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, to know more! 🙂
If you have already made phone calls in Spanish, you surely know that there are specific Spanish words, verbs and phrases to be used in such a situation.
Knowing how to properly talk on the phone will be very useful to any Spanish learner. Once you know the right words and sentences to say, you will be able to speak with native Spanish-speakers, answer politely to a phone call or make a reservation.
Therefore, in order to help the students of our Spanish courses successfully hold a basic phone conversation, let’s see the list below 😊
Firstly, let’s learn some basic key words, like:
- Teléfono fijo: land line
- Teléfono móvil o móvil: cell phone / mobile
- Llamada (telefónica): phone call
- Llamada perdida: missed call
- Buzón de voz: voicemail
Secondly, we take al look at some phrases and Spanish verbs:
- Hacer una llamada: to make a phone call
- Telefonear: to phone
- Llamar: to call
In order to call somebody, we must dial a number. In this case, in Spanish we say “marcar el número”.
“To answer the phone” in Spanish is:
- Contestar al teléfono
- Coger la llamada
- Coger el teléfono
- Responder a la llamada
Finally, we use the Spanish verb Colgar to mean “hang up”.
If we cannot talk to the person we want to speak to, we can leave a leave a message. In Spanish “Dejar un mensaje o un recado”.
Besides, let’s see some specific phrase and expressions we should use in a proper phone conversation to:
1. Greet or answer a phone call:
¡Hola! It is a general and most common way to start a phone conversation. Generally used in informal calls.
If you want to speak formal, you should say buenos días/tardes/noches to greet somebody on the phone.
Díga/Dígame is also very used, in both formal and informal conversation. We use them to answer a phone call.
2. Ask to speak with someone else:
¿Está….? = Is there …..?
¿Podría hablar con…..? = May I speak with….?
¿Podría pasarme a……? = Could you pass me to……?
The last two expression are more formal. Go back to our previous post to learn how to make polite requests in Spanish 😉
When we are asked to pass the call on to someone, in Spanish we normally ask back:
¿De parte de quién? = Who is calling?
If this person is not there to answer the phone, we will say:
Por favor, llame más tarde = Please, call back later
Llame dentro de (media hora, una hora, etc.) = Call back in (half an hour, one hour, etc.)
3. Close a phone call:
– General greetings we use in general conversation, like hasta luego, hasta pronto, adiós, etc.
– Gracias por su/tu llamada: Thanks for calling
We hope that this article helps you make successful phone calls in Spanish 😊
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school, El Rincón del Tándem, is happy to provide you with Spanish courses in a cosy place here in Valencia, where you can study Spanish by having fun and making new friends.
¡Hasta pronto!
