Talk on the Phone in Spanish

Quick Answer

¡Hola!Learn how to talk on the phone in Spanish! Specifically, learn how to do the following in Spanish:

• ask someone to repeat a word

• ask someone to speak slower

• request that someone send you a message

Vocabulary

Let's start off with the vocab words in these lessons!

Nouns

Spanish	English
la conversación	conversation
la llamada	call

examples
Voy a hacer una llamada. I'm going to make a call.
No comprendo las conversaciones largas. I don't understand long conversations.

Adjectives

Spanish	English
difícil	difficult
largo	long
lento	slow

examples
Me gusta el español, pero es difícil. I like Spanish, but it's difficult.
No comprendo las conversaciones largas. I don't understand long conversations.

Conjunctions

Spanish	English
pero	but
si	if

examples
Si hablas más lento, entiendo mejor. If you speak more slowly, I understand better.
Me gusta el español, pero es difícil. I like Spanish, but it's difficult.

Verbs

In this skill, you learn the following verbs!

Contestar

Contestaris a regular -ar verb that means to answer.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	contesto	I answer
tú	contestas	you answer	informal singular you
vos	contestás	you answer	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	contesta	he, she answers
usted	contesta	you answer	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	contestamos	we answer
vosotros, vosotras	contestáis	you answer	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	contestan	they answer
ustedes	contestan	you answer	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Llamar

Llamaris a regular -ar verb that means to call.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	llamo	I call
tú	llamas	you call	informal singular you
vos	llamás	you call	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	llama	he, she calls
usted	llama	you call	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	llamamos	we call
vosotros, vosotras	llamáis	you call	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	llaman	they call
ustedes	llaman	you call	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Llamar is frequently used with por teléfono to create the verb phrase llamar por teléfono (to call).

examples
Llamo por teléfono a mi madre los domingos. I call my mom on Sundays.

Mandar

Mandaris a regular -ar verb that means to send.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	mando	I send
tú	mandas	you send	informal singular you
vos	mandás	you send	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	manda	he, she sends
usted	manda	you send	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	mandamos	we send
vosotros, vosotras	mandáis	you send	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	mandan	they send
ustedes	mandan	you send	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Recordar

Recordar(to remember) is a stem-changing verb. That means that its "stem," reco, changes to recue in all forms except for the vos, nosotros/nosotras, and vosotros/vosotras forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	recuerdo	I remember
tú	recuerdas	you remember	informal singular you
vos	recordás	you remember	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	recuerda	he, she remembers
usted	recuerda	you remember	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	recordamos	we remember
vosotros, vosotras	recordáis	you remember	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	recuerdan	they remember
ustedes	recuerdan	you remember	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Repetir

Repetir(to repeat) is a stem-changing verb. That means that its "stem," repe, changes to repi in all forms except for the vos, nosotros/nosotras, and vosotros/vosotras forms.

Pronoun(s)	Conjugation	Translation	Notes
yo	repito	I repeat
tú	repites	you repeat	informal singular you
vos	repetís	you repeat	informal singular you (in parts of Latin America)
él, ella	repite	he, she repeats
usted	repite	you repeat	formal singular you
nosotros, nosotras	repetimos	we repeat
vosotros, vosotras	repetís	you repeat	informal plural you (in Spain)
ellos, ellas	repiten	they repeat
ustedes	repiten	you repeat	plural you (in Latin America), formal plural you (in Spain)

Phrases

Here are some of the phrases used in these lessons!

Spanish	English
¿Me entiende?	Do you understand me?
¿Puede repetirlo, por favor?	Can you repeat it, please?
Habla más despacio, por favor.	Speak more slowly, please.

Quiz Yourself!

Want more practice with the vocabulary you learned in these lessons? Click here!

Spanish Conversation

Fantastic! Let's put the grammar and vocab from above to the test in the following example of a conversation in Spanish.

Olivia:

Hola, Sergio. Voy a hacer una llamada. Estoy asustada porque no comprendo las conversaciones largas.

Hi, Sergio. I’m going to make a call. I’m scared because I don’t understand long conversations.

Sergio:

Es difícil entender español por teléfono. ¿Quieres practicar conmigo?

It’s difficult to understand Spanish on the phone. Do you want to practice with me?

Olivia:

¡Sí! ¿Quién contesta la llamada? ¿Contestas tú?

Yes! Who answers the call? Do you answer?

Sergio:

Sí. ¿Hola?

Yes. Hello?

Olivia:

Hola. Necesito comprar un boleto de tren para mañana, por favor.

Hello. I need to buy a train ticket for tomorrow, please.

Sergio:

Si hablas más lento, entiendo mejor.

If you speak more slowly, I understand better.

Want to learn more about how to talk about family in Spanish? Check out the following articles!

• Phrases for Having Phone Conversations in Spanish

• How to Give Your Phone Number in Spanish

• How to Say "What's Your Phone Number?" in Spanish