Spanish · Elementary (A2) · Chapter 11 of 12
Phone calls and messages
Llamadas y mensajes
Make a phone call in Spanish: ask for someone, leave a message, spell your name and make an appointment, with le and les for “to him” and “to her”.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Answer the phone and ask for someone
- Leave a message and make an appointment by phone
- Spell your name with the Spanish alphabet
- Use me, te, le, nos, os, les for “to me”, “to him”, “to her”…
Listen
Teresa Uriarte phones a dental clinic in Pamplona. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Receptionist
Clínica dental, buenos días. Dígame.
Dental clinic, good morning. How can I help?
Teresa
Buenos días. Quería hablar con la doctora Castro, por favor.
Good morning. I'd like to speak to Dr Castro, please.
Receptionist
Lo siento, ahora mismo está con un paciente. ¿De parte de quién?
I'm sorry, she's with a patient right now. Who's calling?
Teresa
De Teresa Uriarte.
Teresa Uriarte.
Receptionist
¿Cómo se escribe su apellido?
How do you spell your surname?
Teresa
U, erre, i, a, erre, te, e. Uriarte.
U, R, I, A, R, T, E. Uriarte.
Receptionist
Gracias. ¿Quiere dejarle un mensaje?
Thank you. Would you like to leave her a message?
Teresa
Sí, por favor. Dígale que otra vez me duele una muela y que necesito una cita esta semana.
Yes, please. Tell her that I've got toothache again and that I need an appointment this week.
Receptionist
Muy bien, ahora le doy el mensaje. ¿Le va bien el jueves a las cinco?
All right, I'll give her the message now. Does Thursday at five suit you?
Teresa
Sí, perfecto. ¿Me puede enviar un mensaje con la cita?
Yes, perfect. Could you send me a message with the appointment?
Receptionist
Claro. Su móvil es el seis cero nueve, cuarenta y dos, quince, ochenta, ¿no?
Of course. Your mobile is 609 42 15 80, isn't it?
Teresa
Sí, es ese. Muchas gracias. Adiós.
Yes, that's the one. Thank you very much. Goodbye.
Understand
Me, te, le, nos, os, les: to me, to him, to her…
An “indirect object” is the person who receives something or is told something: “Tell her”, “Send me a message”. You already know these pronouns from and . means “to him”, “to her” or “to you” (), and means “to them” or “to you” ().
Like and (chapter 7), they go before the verb: (I'll give her the message). They're joined to the end of an infinitive or an imperative: , … (Tell her that…).
When the person is named, Spanish often uses as well: .
| Pronoun | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| (to) me | (Could you send me a message?) | |
| (to) you () | (I'll send you the address.) | |
| (to) him, her, you () | (Tell her I need an appointment.) | |
| (to) us | (She gave us her number.) | |
| (to) you () | (I'll send you the photos.) | |
| (to) them, you () | (What shall I tell your parents?) |
On the phone
In Spain people answer the phone with , or (literally “Tell me”). To say who you are, use : (Hi, it's Teresa). … (I wanted…) is a very polite way to say what you'd like: (I'd like an appointment).
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Is Carlos there? | |
| Who's calling? | |
| One moment, please. | |
| / | He / She isn't here. / He / She is in a meeting. |
| Would you like to leave a message? | |
| I'll call back later. | |
| Does Thursday suit you? |
Spelling: the Spanish alphabet
To ask how to spell something, say Letters are feminine: , . B and v sound the same, so people often add an example: , .
| Letter | Name | Letter | Name | Letter | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | j | r | |||
| b | k | s | |||
| c | l | t | |||
| d | m | u | |||
| e | n | v | |||
| f | ñ | w | |||
| g | o | x | |||
| h | p | y | or | ||
| i | q | z |
More in the grammar: The Spanish alphabet and pronunciation · Object pronouns: lo, la, le, les
New words
- ¿Dígame?Hello? (answering the phone) · also or
- quería…I'd like… (very polite) · imperfect of
- el paciente / la pacientepatient
- ¿De parte de quién?Who's calling?
- ¿Cómo se escribe?How do you spell it?
- el apellidosurname · masculine
- dejarto leave; to let
- el mensajemessage · masculine
- Dígale que…Tell him / her that… · imperative of +
- la muelaback tooth, molar · feminine; : I've got toothache
- la citaappointment · feminine
- ¿Le va bien…?Does… suit you? (polite) · informal: ¿Te va bien…?
- enviarto send · , …
- la direcciónaddress · feminine
Practise
1.The receptionist asks What does she want to know?
2.Complete with the right pronoun: “I'll send you the address.” ()
I'll send you the address.
3.Complete with or : “What shall I tell your parents?”
What shall I tell your parents?
4.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Would you like to leave him / her a message?
5.Match the Spanish with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
6.Which letter is called ?
0 of 6 exercises done.
Say it out loud
Quería hablar con la doctora Castro, por favor.
I'd like to speak to Dr Castro, please.
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.