Am I rude''? lol

Question

When I call my friend in Cuba I say to whomever answers the phone:

Esta Orlando?

But I somehow feel like I am being rude or incorrect. How would one say politely Is Orlando there? or May I speak to Orlanda?

The receiver knows me and knows my very poor Spanish but I want to correct myself.

Please help

Answer 1

I think in any language it is polite to first identify yourself.

Buenas tardes, habla Ángela. ¿Se encuentra Orlando?

Or, ¿Me puede comunicar con Orlando', but that is much more formal, almost business-like.

BTW, "I say to whomever answers the phone" is incorrect. It should be "I say to whoever answers the phone," because the "who" here is the subject of the verb phrase "answers the phone," not an object.

Answer 2

hee hee my spelling error ... it is Orlando ... not Orlanda. Thanks guys for the help and corrections

Answer 3

And call Orlando by the right name, too. hehe

Answer 4

"¿Puedo hablar yo con Orlanda'" is the correct way to ask to talk to you're friend.

Add the interrogation mark, the "r" at the end of "hablar", and omit "yo" to make it correct.

Answer 5

"Puedo habla yo con Orlanda'" is the correct way to ask to talk to you're friend.

Answer 6

The polite thing is to first identify yourself indeed, but in Spain, at least, we say "soy Ángela" instead of "habla Ángela". In any case, every country seems to have different expressions on the phone, so it is not important.

We also say "¿Está Orlando'" instead of "¿Se encuentra Orlando'"