Learn How to Use and Conjugate the Spanish Verb Llamar (2023)

Languages ›Spanish

The Spanish verbllamarmeans to call. It is a regular -ar verb, like buscar or parar. Below you can find tables for the conjugation ofllamar in the present, past and future indicative, the present and past subjunctive, as well as the imperative and other verb forms.

Llamar Meaning

The simple translation of llamar is to call, but depending on its usage, the meaning can vary slightly. For example, it can mean to call as in call someone to come to you,La madre llamó a los niños para la cena(The mother called the children for dinner), or it can mean to call on the phone,El doctor llamó a su paciente por teléfono(The doctor called his patient on the phone). In addition, it can sometimes be used to say that someone is at the door, knocking or ringing,Alguien llama a la puerta(Someone is at the door).

Another meaning of the verbllamaris to name something or someone. For example,Cuando lo adoptamos, llamamos al perroPopo(When we adopted it, we named the dog Popo). It can also mean to call someone or something by a certain name, as inSu nombre es Federico, pero lo llamamos Fede(His name is Federico, but we call him Fede).

Finally, llamarcan be used as a reflexive verb,llamarse,to talk about what someone's name is. To say "my name is Ana", you can sayMi nombre es Ana,but it is actually very common to sayMe llamo Ana(I am called Ana). For this reason, some people get confused and think thatllamomeans "name", but actually, when sayingme llamoyou are saying "I am called". When using the verb in this way, remember to include the reflexive pronoun before the conjugated verb.

One thing to keep in mind when using the verbllamaris how the double L is pronounced in Spanish. In English, the double L is pronounced just like you would pronounce a normal L. However, in Spanish when there are two L's together, they make a sound much like the English Y (as in yam), or often it sounds like the English J (as in Jack). There is quite a bit of variation in the pronunciation of the Spanish Ll depending on where the Spanish speaker is from.In some places of South America it even sounds like Sh (as in shark).

Llamar Present Indicative