Feb
16
¿Dígame? Tips for talking on the phone in Spanish
OK, I’ll admit it. I suck at talking on the phone in Spanish. To me, it can be nervewracking, especially when calling a business establishment. I’m always afraid they’re going to cut me off or put me on hold before I’ve said what I want to say.
The first time I had to look for a room to rent in Madrid a few years ago, I had a Spanish friend make the phone calls arranging the appointments because I was so nervous. But once there was a landlord, whose apartment I was going to see, who called me to reschedule the appointment. Although I understood what he was saying, my response wasn’t as fluid as it should’ve been and the landlord, in the typical blunt manner of the Spanish, said to me, “Where are you from? How come you don’t speak Spanish as well as your friend?” Ouch.
After encounters like that, I realized I needed to come up with a script. It’s odd, but talking on the telephone isn’t part of the basic curriculum of learning Spanish. Most teachers teach us how to order food in a restaurant, find a bathroom, buy a train ticket, or, my favorite, locate the nearest biblioteca, but seldom do they teach us the vocab related to talking on the phone. Many of us have to pick up this type of vocab on the fly, through trial and error or through eavesdropping on native speakers and copying their key opening and closing phrases.
So, today is the first installment in a series of occasional entries about using Spanish on the phone. Thanks to Andrew who emailed me a suggestion on this topic.
Today’s first installment is just going to cover the basics.
The Opening: Identification and greetings
In Spain people say any one of the following when answering the phone:
¿Dígame?
¿Diga?
¿Sí?
But Spaniards never, ever say “¿Hola?” when answering the phone. Never.
In Latin America, it varies, depending on the country. Bueno, sí, aló or hola are some of the terms used.
Expressing who you want to talk to:
Quería hablar con…
¿Podría ponerme con…?
¿Podría pasarme con…?
Necesito hablar con….
To ask who is calling:
¿De parte de quién?
¿Quiere indicarme su nombre, por favor?
¿A quién debo anuniciar?
Telling someone to hold or to stay on the line:
Espere un momento, por favor
Sí, un momento, por favor
No se retire, por favor
Permanezca a la escucha, por favor
Basic words and phrases to express the reason for the call
para…
sobre…
a fin de…
a propósito de…
con motivo de…
con vistas a…
para tratar…
referente a…
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The second installment in this series will address phrases related to asking for someone and saying that someone isn’t available.
Photo: “On the phone” by Heidi. Used with permission.
And then there’s the humorous coincidence that the Basque word for “yes” is “bai”, so when you call someone in the Basque Country, they will often answer the phone “Bai?” (pronounced just like “bye”), which is rather disconcerting for a native English speaker, as you might imagine.
Great article.
Ha! I didn’t know that. Thanks for mentioning it! (Note to self: Make future travel arrangements to the Basque Country via email, not by phone.
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Glad I’m not the only one going thru the trials of talking on the phone! My teacher and I practiced in language school, so I’m feeling a little more confident
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I’m enjoying yours!
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for dropping by. Sounds like you’ve got a good teacher there. Keep on studying!
Thanks Eleena!!!!!!!!! Tengo ganas de echar una vistazo a la segunda entrega.
Quizás ahora contestaré el telefóno en trabajo!
@Andrew, your wish is my command:
http://spanish-podcast.com/2008/02/19/phone-talk-part-2/
[...] ¿Dígame? Tips for talking on the phone in Spanish [...]
Yo siempre digo: ¡Hola! y mi padre y mi hermano también.