llamar
“llamar” means “to call” in Spanish. It has 4 different meanings depending on context:
to call
Also: to phone, to ring
📝 In Action
Te llamo en cinco minutos.
A1I'll call you in five minutes.
Mi mamá me llama todos los domingos.
A1My mom calls me every Sunday.
¿Puedes llamar a la pizzería para pedir la cena?
A2Can you call the pizzeria to order dinner?
to name, to call
📝 In Action
Decidieron llamar al perro 'Fido'.
A2They decided to name the dog 'Fido'.
En el trabajo me llaman 'el nuevo'.
B1At work they call me 'the new guy'.
A eso yo lo llamo una buena idea.
B1That's what I call a good idea.
to knock, to ring
📝 In Action
Escuché que alguien llamaba a la puerta.
A2I heard someone knocking on the door.
Llamaron al timbre tres veces, pero no estábamos en casa.
B1They rang the doorbell three times, but we weren't home.
to summon, to get someone's attention
📝 In Action
La directora llamó a los padres para una reunión.
B1The principal summoned the parents for a meeting.
¡Llama a una ambulancia!
A2Call an ambulance!
Ese vestido colorido realmente llama la atención.
B1That colorful dress really attracts attention.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
🔀 Commonly Confused With
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: llamar
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly says 'His name is Carlos'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'clamāre', which means 'to shout' or 'to cry out'. You can see how this original idea of shouting connects to all its modern meanings: calling someone on the phone, calling someone by a name, or calling for them at the door.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'llamar' and 'llamarse'?
This is a great question! 'Llamar' is an action you do to someone else, like calling them on the phone ('llamo a mi amigo') or calling them a nickname ('le llaman Pepe'). 'Llamarse' is about your own name or identity. Think of 'me llamo' as 'I call myself', so 'Me llamo Ana' literally means 'I call myself Ana'.
How do I say 'call me back'?
The most common way is 'devuélveme la llamada' (literally, 'return the call to me'). You can also say 'llámame de vuelta' ('call me back'). Both are perfectly understood.