llamar
/ya-mar/
to call
Llamar can mean to call or to phone someone.
llamar(Verb)
to call
?using a phone
to phone
?especially in British English
,to ring
?especially in British English
📝 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?
💡 Grammar Points
Calling a Person
When you say who you are calling, you usually need to add the little word 'a' before their name or title. For example, 'Llamo a mi hermana' (I'm calling my sister).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting 'a'
Mistake: "Voy a llamar mi amigo."
Correction: Voy a llamar a mi amigo. When the person you're calling is the direct 'receiver' of the action, Spanish uses what's called the 'personal a'.
⭐ Usage Tips
Quick Commands
To tell a friend to call you, just say '¡Llámame!'. To ask them to call you back, you can say '¡Llámame de vuelta!'.
Llamar is used when you name something or call someone by a specific name.
llamar(Verb)
to name
?to give a name to something or someone
,to call
?to refer to someone by a certain name or title
📝 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.
❌ Common Pitfalls
'llamar' vs. 'llamarse'
Mistake: "Él llama Juan."
Correction: Él se llama Juan. Use 'llamar' when you are actively calling someone a name ('Le llaman Juan'). Use 'llamarse' to say what someone's name IS ('His name is Juan').
⭐ Usage Tips
Opinions and Definitions
You can use 'llamar' to give your opinion or define something. For example, 'A eso lo llamo suerte' (I call that luck).
When someone is at your house, llamar a la puerta means to knock on the door.
📝 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.
⭐ Usage Tips
Being Specific
'Llamar' works for both knocking and ringing a bell. If you want to be more specific, you can say 'tocar la puerta' (to knock on the door) or 'tocar el timbre' (to ring the bell).
The phrase llamar la atención means to attract attention or to stand out.
llamar(Verb)
to summon
?to formally ask someone to come
,to get someone's attention
?to call out to someone
📝 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.
⭐ Usage Tips
Key Phrase: 'llamar la atención'
This is a super useful phrase. You can use it for something that catches your eye ('me llama la atención') or when a teacher tells a student off ('le llamó la atención').
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: llamar
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly says 'His name is Carlos'?
📚 More Resources
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.