Inklingo

How to Say "i ring" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “i ring” is “llamo” — use 'llamo' when you are talking about making a phone call, similar to the English 'I call'..

English → Spanish

llamo

/YA-mo//'ʝa.mo/

verbA1general
Use 'llamo' when you are talking about making a phone call, similar to the English 'I call'.
A young person holding a bright red smartphone to their ear, making a call.

Examples

Te llamo más tarde, ahora estoy ocupado.

I'll call you later, I'm busy right now.

Llamo a mi abuela todos los domingos por la mañana.

I call my grandmother every Sunday morning.

The 'I' Form of Verbs

'Llamo' is the form of 'llamar' that means 'I call'. In Spanish, the ending of the verb changes to show who is doing the action. The '-o' ending almost always means 'I'.

Using the Present for the Future

Just like in English ('I'm calling you tomorrow'), you can use 'llamo' to talk about the very near future. 'Te llamo en cinco minutos' means 'I'll call you in five minutes'.

toco

/TO-ko//ˈtoko/

verbA2general
Use 'toco' when you are referring to the action of ringing a doorbell or a bell.
A fist raised, making contact with a simple brown wooden door.

Examples

Toco el timbre, pero nadie sale a abrir.

I ring the doorbell, but no one comes out to open it.

Si toco muy fuerte, despierto a mi vecino.

If I knock too hard, I'll wake up my neighbor.

Phone Call vs. Doorbell

The most common mistake is using 'toco' for phone calls. Remember that 'llamo' is for initiating a phone conversation, while 'toco' is for the physical act of ringing a bell or doorbell.

Related Translations

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