Talking on the Phone in Spanish
Talking on the phone in a Spanish-speaking country isn’t much different from talking on the phone in the United States. However, the word you use for hello on the phone may be different depending on the Spanish-speaking country you’re in. Most Spanish-speaking countries use the Chilean word aló when greeting someone on the phone.
These Spanish phrases come in handy when you need to use the phone:
llamar por teléfono (yah-mahr pohr teh-leh-foh-noh) (make a phone call)
marcar el número (mahr-kahr ehl noo-meh-roh) (dial/punch in the number)
colgar (kohl-gahr) (hang up)
la línea está libre (lah lee-neah ehs-tah lee-bvreh) (the line is open)
la línea está ocupada (lah lee-neh-ah ehs-tah oh-koo-pah-dah) (the line is busy)
el teléfono no responde (ehl teh-leh-foh-noh noh rehs-pohn-deh) (there’s no answer)
When learning Spanish, you may find that some people speak too fast for you. On the telephone, fast talking is even more of a problem. You don’t see the person as you’re talking on the phone, so you can’t get the gist of the communication from body language or facial expressions. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Gently insist that the other person repeat the sentence more clearly. Or, you can say mas despasio, por favor (mahs deh-spahs-ee-oh pohr fa-bvohr) (More slowly, please.).