Por atrás VS para atrás ..... Behind VS Back

Question

Si me quieres dejar un mensaje, hazlo sin duda. Si me importa lo que dices (could I say dijiste here?) , quizás te llamo para atrás.

Is this right? Para atrás works in this context for "back" but not por atrás because that means behind? Gracias.

Answer 1

no, it´does not work like that for call you back

Si me quieres dejar un mensaje, hazlo sin dudar. Si me interesa lo que dijiste, quizás te devuelva el llamado.

But it sounds pretty rude for an answering machine

behind has no use here. And por atrás means from behind.

devolver sometimes works fine for back: pay back => devolver el dinero. Other ways to express verb+back might be de nuevo. Call you back later => te llamo de nuevo más tarde.

That's what I'm going for, it's funny to be rude. - jeezzle, Nov 3, 2010

People know I'm not serious. - jeezzle, Nov 3, 2010

Well, I didn´t know :-) I thought you were serious so from now on I won´t give you serious answers :-D - mediterrunio, Nov 3, 2010

Ay, no me digas eso amigo. - jeezzle, Nov 3, 2010

jajaja - mediterrunio, Nov 3, 2010

Answer 2

Te llamo para atrás does not work. I agree with Mediterrunio.

Te llamo más tarde, luego te llamo, o te devuelvo la llamada.

Answer 3

The mexicans at work told me that they say "te llamo para atrás" for "I will call you back", I did not make it up, or decide it was right out of the blue. They are wrong then? I do like devuelva though.

I think some Mexicans has real problems trying to speak Spanish translating from English. - mediterrunio, Nov 3, 2010

You are probably right. They are so hard to understand, it is like a different language, the mixing of English and Spanish that they use. - jeezzle, Nov 3, 2010

Were that born in Mexico? Or were they Mex-American? Spanish speaker born in the US have a tendency to the direct translation from English, which isn't always correct. - sd1272, Nov 3, 2010

Small farming towns in Mexico mostly. - jeezzle, Nov 3, 2010

There is no direct translations going on with them, they just talk wierd. - jeezzle, Nov 3, 2010