The short version
- Phone calls are harder than face-to-face because you lose gestures, lip-reading and the chance to point. So prepare more.
- Say why you're calling in your first sentence: Llamo por… or Quería…
- Practise spelling your name and email address before you need to. That's where most calls get stuck.
Face to face, you've got a lot of help you don't notice. You can see the other person's mouth, point at things, show them a piece of paper and read their expression when you've been misunderstood. Phone calls in Spanish take all of that away, and add a bad line and someone who's done this conversation fifty times today and talks fast.
That's why plenty of learners who manage fine in shops still dread the phone. It's normal, and it's fixable.
The good news is that most calls you'll make in Spain follow the same shape: a greeting, why you're calling, some details (name, date, number), and a goodbye. If you prepare each part, you'll get through most calls without trouble.
Answering the phone
In Spain, people usually answer with one word.
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Sí? | Hello? | Very common, for any call |
| ¿Dígame? / ¿Diga? | Hello? (literally "tell me") | Common, slightly more formal |
| ¿Hola? | Hello? | Fine, especially with unknown numbers |
| [Business name], buenos días. | [Business name], good morning. | Companies and offices |
| ¿De parte de quién? | Who's calling? | When they're going to pass you on |
If you've been to Latin America, you may know ¿Aló? or, in Mexico, ¿Bueno? In Spain, ¿Sí? and ¿Dígame? are what you'll hear.
When you answer an unknown number, it's fine to wait for them to speak. Then Sí, soy yo (Yes, speaking) if they ask for you.
Saying why you're calling
Get your reason for calling into the first sentence. It tells the other person what kind of conversation this is, and after that they'll mostly be asking you simple questions.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hola, buenos días. Llamo por… | Hello, good morning. I'm calling about… |
| Quería pedir una cita. | I'd like to make an appointment. |
| Quería información sobre… | I'd like some information about… |
| ¿Podría hablar con…? | Could I speak to…? |
| Me llamo… y tengo una reserva para… | My name is… and I have a booking for… |
| Le llamo porque… | I'm calling you because… |
Quería (literally "I wanted") is the polite, normal way to ask for something on the phone in Spain. It sounds softer than quiero.
- Hola, buenos días.Hello, good morning.
- Hola, buenos días. Llamo por la reserva.Hello, good morning. I'm calling about the booking.
- Hola, buenos días. Llamo por la reserva del sábado.Hello, good morning. I'm calling about Saturday's booking.
- Hola, buenos días. Llamo por la reserva del sábado. Quería cambiar la hora, si es posible.Hello, good morning. I'm calling about Saturday's booking. I'd like to change the time, if possible.
Say that last line and the person on the other end knows exactly what you need. The next question will be ¿A nombre de quién? (Under what name?), and you'll be ready for it.
Spelling your name and email
This is where most phone calls get stuck. Your name probably isn't Spanish, and the person needs to write it down.
| Letter | Said in Spanish | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| A | a | "ah" |
| E | e | "eh" |
| I | i | "ee" |
| G | ge | "heh" (throaty) |
| H | hache | "AH-cheh" |
| J | jota | "HO-ta" (throaty) |
| R | erre | "EH-rreh" |
| V | uve | "OO-beh" |
| W | uve doble | "OO-beh DOH-bleh" |
| Y | i griega / ye | "ee gree-EH-ga" / "yeh" |
| Z | zeta | "THEH-ta" |
A, E and I cause the most trouble, because English speakers say them the English way. "E" in English sounds like Spanish i, and "I" sounds like nothing in the Spanish alphabet at all.
To make letters clear on a bad line, people in Spain often add a word, usually a city or a name: B de Barcelona, V de Valencia, M de Madrid, N de Navarra. B and V sound the same in Spanish, so this helps a lot.
Write your full name, your email address and your street name. Now spell each one out loud in Spanish, adding a city for any letter that could be confused: Smith: ese, eme, i, te, hache. Do it three times a day for a week. Then, when someone asks ¿Me lo deletrea? (Can you spell it?), it comes out on its own, which is exactly what you need when you're already a bit nervous.
For email addresses, you need a few extra words:
- arroba (@)
- punto (.)
- guion (-)
- guion bajo (_)
- todo junto (all one word)
- en minúsculas (in lower case)
So jsmith_82@gmail.com is jota, ese, eme, i, te, hache, guion bajo, ocho, dos, arroba, gmail, punto com.
Numbers, times and dates
You'll give and hear numbers on almost every call: phone numbers, dates, times, reference numbers.
People in Spain often say phone numbers in small groups rather than one digit at a time: seiscientos cincuenta, veintitrés, cuarenta y cinco, sesenta y siete for 650 23 45 67, for example. You can say yours one digit at a time if that's easier. It's perfectly clear.
When you're given a number, repeat it back: A ver si lo tengo bien: seis, cinco, cero… (Let me check I've got it right…). That's normal on the phone, even between native speakers.
For appointments, the key phrases are ¿Qué día le viene bien? (What day suits you?), ¿Le va bien el martes a las diez? (Does Tuesday at ten work for you?) and Perfecto, el martes a las diez (Great, Tuesday at ten). If you're booking with a doctor, Spanish for the doctor and the pharmacy has the words for explaining what's wrong.
When you don't understand
You will miss things on the phone. Everyone does. What matters is having a phrase ready so you don't go silent.
- Perdone, no le oigo bien. (Sorry, I can't hear you well.)
- ¿Me lo puede repetir, por favor? (Could you repeat that, please?)
- ¿Puede hablar un poco más despacio? (Could you speak a bit more slowly?)
- Se ha cortado. (We got cut off.)
- ¿Me lo puede mandar por correo o por WhatsApp? (Could you send it to me by email or WhatsApp?)
That last one is very handy for addresses, reference numbers and anything with lots of details. Many businesses in Spain use WhatsApp, and plenty will happily send you the information in writing.
With businesses, offices and anyone you don't know, calls in Spain usually use usted. That's why the phrases above use le, puede and perdone. With younger staff at a gym or a restaurant, you'll often hear tú instead. Follow their lead.
Automated menus and voicemail
Many big companies start with a recording. The vocabulary is small and repeats a lot, so it's worth learning once.
- Para… pulse uno. (For… press one.) You'll also hear marque.
- Si desea… (If you'd like…)
- Todos nuestros operadores están ocupados. (All our operators are busy.)
- Por favor, espere. / No se retire. (Please hold.)
- Le paso con un compañero. (I'll put you through to a colleague.)
- Deje su mensaje después de la señal. (Leave your message after the tone.)
Some systems ask you to say your answer instead of pressing a button. A clear sí, no or the name of the option usually works.
Hold messages in Spain can loop for a long time, and it's easy to think you've been cut off. If you hear music or Su llamada es muy importante para nosotros, you're still in the queue. Put it on speaker and wait.
Common mistakes
Starting with a long explanation.
Put the reason in the first sentence: Llamo por…
Spelling with English letter names.
Practise the Spanish alphabet with your own name and email.
Saying sí, sí when you didn't catch it.
¿Me lo puede repetir? Everyone asks this on the phone.
Trying to write down a long reference number by ear.
Ask them to send it by email or WhatsApp.
Avoiding calls completely.
Start with an easy one, like booking a table.
Recap
- Phone calls follow a pattern: greeting, reason, details, goodbye.
- Get your reason into the first sentence with Llamo por… or Quería…
- Practise spelling your name and email in Spanish before you need it.
- Repeat numbers back to check them.
- When in doubt, ask for it by email or WhatsApp.
If you've just moved, a lot of your first calls will be about the appointments and paperwork covered in the Spanish you need in your first month in Spain.
Like any conversation, phone calls get easier once you've said the lines out loud a few times. 100 Spanish Conversations gives you everyday conversations to practise that way, one theme a week. If you've got a call coming up and want to check your opening line, post it in the Skool community.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com