How to Use the Spanish Verb Llamar

Llamar is a verb that you will use very early as you learn Spanish, because the verb is commonly used when asking someone his or her name, or when telling others your own name. However, llamar also is used in other ways and can be found in a variety of contexts, such as to refer to the making of a telephone call. Using Llamar With Names The literal translation of llamar is to call. Thus, when you are using llamar to ask someones name, you are literally asking what the person calls himself or herself. Knowing this will help you use the verb in other contexts. See how llamar is used in the context of specifying names:  ¿Cà ³mo se llama? (What is your/his/her name? Literally, how do you call yourself? How does he/she call himself/herself?) ¿Cà ³mo te llamas? (What is your name? Literally, how do you call yourself?)Me llamo ___. (My name is ___. Literally, I call myself ___.)La empresa se llama Recursos Humanos. (The business is named Recursos Humanos.) If youre a beginning Spanish student, you may not have learned yet about the use of reflexive verbs, those that use the -self pronouns in English. An explanation of reflexive verbs is beyond the scope of this lesson, but here it is most important to know that when youre using llamar to refer to what someone is named, you are using the reflexive form of the verb, llamarse, and you must use the reflexive pronoun (se, te or me in the sample sentences) with it. Using Llamar for Calling In other contexts, llamar most often means simply to call as in these examples: Él me llamà ³ pero no me dijo nada. (He called me, but he didnt tell me anything.)No voy a llamarlo. (I am not going to call him.)Tu madre te llama. (Your mother is calling you.) There is an ambiguity in the above sentences in both languages: While all these examples might be using to call in the sense of to telephone (telefonear), they arent necessarily doing so. You can make the distinction only from the context. Llamar also can mean to call in other situations as well: Los ministros de finanzas quieren llamar la atencià ³n sobre la biodiversidad. (The finance ministers want to call attention to biodiversity.)Me llamà ³ idiota. (He called me an idiot.)Al poco rato llamà ³ con los nudillos a la puerta. (A little bit later he knocked on the door. Literally, a little bit later, he called with his knuckles at the door.) As the third example above suggests, there may be times where you would translate llamar as to knock when the context so demands. For example, a simple sentence such as llama Marà ­a might be translated as thats Maria knocking if uttered when a knock is heard at the door, or thats Maria ringing if uttered when the telephone rings. Or a sentence such as està ¡n llamando (literally, theyre calling) might mean someone is ringing the doorbell or someone is calling on the phone. As always in matters of translation, context is key in determining what something means. Using Llamar Figuratively In some contexts, llamar can be used as meaning call in a broad or figurative sense, giving it the meaning of to be appealing or something similar. Like call, it can be used to indicate that something is drawing someone to it. La tecnologà ­a nueva llama la atencià ³n de cientos de millones de personas. (The new technology is drawing the attention of hundreds of millions of people.)La mà ºsica rock no me llama. (Rock music doesnt appeal to me.)A mi personalmente los videojuegos no me llaman, pero reconozco la importancia que està ¡n teniendo hoy dà ­a. (I personally dont care for videogames, but I recognize the importance they are having these days.) Words Related to Llamar Among the words related to llamar are: Llamada often refers to a telephone call, although it can refer to various kinds of signals or gestures used to call attention. La llamada era del presidente. (The call was from the president.) Some speakers also use llamado this way.As a noun, llamado can refer to a spiritual calling: Pedro recibià ³ un llamado al ministerio. (Pedro received a call to the ministry.)A doorbell, door buzzer, or doorknocker is often called a llamador. The word can also be used for a visitor, i.e., someone who comes calling.A call for action can be called a llamamiento. La Marcha por la Paz ha querido hacer este aà ±o un llamamiento para cuidar el planeta. (The March for Peace has wanted to make this year a call for care of the planet.)Something that calls attention to itself can be considered llamativo as explained in this lesson on translation. Surprisingly, llama as a noun isnt related to llamar. In fact, there are two unrelated nouns of the form llama: The name of the South American pack animal known as a llama comes from the Quechua language.Llama can also refer to a flame, and, like the English word, it is related to the Latin flamma. Spanish also uses the word flama. Key Takeaways Llamar has a general meaning very similar to that of to call and thus can usually be used to translate the English verb.The reflexive form, llamarse, is very commonly used in giving the name of someone or something.