Asking to speak with someone and leaving a message – Making business phone calls in Spain Spanish

☀️🌅

Buenos días.

BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs

Good morning.

🇪🇸 In Spain buenos días works right up until lunch, around 2pm. After that, answer with buenas tardes "good afternoon".

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❓🤝

¿Dígame?

DEE-gah-meh

How can I help you?

🇪🇸 The standard way to answer the phone in Spain, at work and at home. Literally "tell me", it sounds brisk but isn't rude.

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🗣️❓👩

¿Puedo hablar con la señora Martín?

PWEH-doh ah-BLAR kohn lah seh-NYOH-rah mar-TEEN

May I speak to Mrs Martín?

💬 Swap in any name to reuse this: ¿Puedo hablar con el señor López? "May I speak to Mr López?". Note the la or el before señora or señor, which English leaves out.

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🙏

Por favor

por fah-BOR

Please

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🗣️❓👩🙏

¿Puedo hablar con la señora Martín, por favor?

PWEH-doh ah-BLAR kohn lah seh-NYOH-rah mar-TEEN por fah-BOR

May I speak with Mrs. Martín, please?

🇪🇸 Polite and natural for a business call. Spaniards often skip a greeting and go straight to the request, or start with a quick Hola, buenos días.

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😔

Lo siento

loh SYEHN-toh

I'm sorry

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👩💼⏰

Ahora está en una reunión

ah-OH-rah ehs-tah ehn OO-nah reh-oo-NYOHN

She's in a meeting now

💬 Spanish uses está, not es, for where someone is right now. Same pattern: está en la oficina "she's in the office".

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😔👩💼⏰

Lo siento, ahora está en una reunión.

loh SYEHN-toh ah-OH-rah ehs-tah ehn OO-nah reh-oo-NYOHN

I'm sorry, she's in a meeting right now.

💬 está is used for where someone is or what they're in the middle of right now, not for who they are. Same pattern: está fuera "she's out", está comiendo "she's at lunch".

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📝✉️

Dejar un mensaje

deh-HAR oon meh-sa-heh

To leave a message

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❓📝✉️

¿Quiere dejar un mensaje?

KYEH-reh deh-HAR oon meh-sa-heh

Would you like to leave a message?

💬 Quiere here means "you want", using the polite form that matches "he/she wants". That's why there's no separate word for "you".

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✅

Sí

see

Yes

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✅🙏

Sí, por favor.

see por fah-BOR

Yes, please.

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🙋‍♂️

Soy Emily Smith

soy

I'm Emily Smith

🇪🇸 On the phone, Spaniards identify themselves with soy, literally "I am". Me llamo "my name is" sounds odd here.

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🏢

De la empresa Brightway

deh lah em-PREH-sah BRAIT-way

From the company Brightway

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🙋‍♂️🏢

Soy Emily Smith , de la empresa Brightway.

soy deh lah em-PREH-sah BRAIT-way

This is Emily Smith, from Brightway.

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🙇

Perdone

pehr-DOH-neh

Excuse me

💬 Perdone is the polite form for someone you'd address formally. With friends it becomes perdona.

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🏢📛

El nombre de la empresa

ehl NOHM-breh deh lah em-PREH-sah

The name of the company

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🔁🏢📛❓

¿Me repite el nombre de la empresa?

meh reh-PEE-teh ehl NOHM-breh deh lah em-PREH-sah

Could you repeat the name of the company?

💬 Spanish often makes requests in the plain present tense: ¿me repite...? is literally "you repeat me...?". Same trick: ¿me pasa con ella? "can you put me through to her?".

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😔🔁🏢📛❓

Perdone, ¿me repite el nombre de la empresa?

pehr-DOH-neh meh reh-PEE-teh ehl NOHM-breh deh lah em-PREH-sah

Sorry, could you repeat the company name?

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✅👍

Sí, claro.

see KLAH-roh

Yes, of course.

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❓📝

¿Cuál es el mensaje?

kwahl ehs ehl meh-sa-heh

What's the message?

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➕❓📝

¿Y cuál es el mensaje?

ee kwahl ehs ehl meh-sa-heh

And what's the message?

💬 Use cuál, not qué, before es when asking for a specific piece of information. Same pattern: ¿Cuál es su número? "What's your number?"

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👩📞➡️🙋

Que me llame

keh meh YAH-meh

For her to call me

💬 Que plus this verb form passes on a wish for someone else to do something. Swap the verb: que me escriba "for her to write to me".

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🌇

Esta tarde

eh-stah TAR-deh

This afternoon

🇪🇸 In Spain la tarde stretches until about 8 or 9pm. A callback "this afternoon" could easily come at 7.

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👩📞➡️🙋🌇🙏

Que me llame esta tarde, por favor.

keh meh YAH-meh eh-stah TAR-deh por fah-BOR

Could she call me this afternoon, please?

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📅

Es sobre el lunes.

ess SOH-breh ehl LOO-nes

It's about Monday.

💬 Days take el rather than "on": el lunes alone means "on Monday". Same with el viernes "on Friday".

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👍👍

Muy bien.

mwee byehn

Very good.

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❓👩📱

¿Ella tiene su número?

eh-yah tee-eh-neh soo NOO-meh-roh

Does she have your number?

💬 Su can mean "your" (polite), "her" or "his". Context tells you which, and here it's the caller's number.

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👩✔️📱

Ya lo tiene

ya loh tee-eh-neh

She already has it

💬 Small words like lo "it" go before the verb, not after: ya lo tengo "I already have it".

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✅👩✔️📱

Sí, ya lo tiene.

see ya loh tee-eh-neh

Yes, she already has it.

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🌟

Perfecto

pehr-FEHK-toh

Perfect

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🙋➡️👩📝

Le doy el mensaje

leh doy ehl meh-sa-heh

I'll give her the message

💬 Spanish uses the present tense for an immediate promise: le doy is literally "I give her". English would say "I'll give".

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🌟🙋➡️👩📝

Perfecto, le doy el mensaje.

pehr-FEHK-toh leh doy ehl meh-sa-heh

Perfect, I'll give her the message.

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🙏📞

Gracias por llamar.

GRAH-syahs por yah-MAR

Thanks for calling.

💬 In most of Spain, c before i is said like English th: (GRAH-thyahs).

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🙏😊

Gracias a usted.

GRAH-see-ahs ah oos-TED

Thank you (to you).

🇪🇸 This is the standard polite reply when someone thanks you on a formal call. With friends you'd say a ti.

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👋

Hasta luego.

AHS-tah LWEH-goh

Goodbye.

🇪🇸 Spaniards say hasta luego as an everyday goodbye even when they won't see you again. It's the normal way to end a business call.

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Making business phone calls: Asking to speak with someone and leaving a message

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