Llamar Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Llamar (to call, to phone; llamarse - to be named) is one of the most used verbs in Spanish and it is completely regular: it follows the -ar verb pattern in every tense, so it is a perfect model verb to learn early.

Indicative Tenses of Llamar

Llamar in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Llamo a mi madre todos los domingos (I call my mother every Sunday).

Present tense rules →

Llamar in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer llamé al médico para pedir cita (Yesterday I called the doctor to make an appointment).

Preterite rules →

Llamar in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he llamado dos veces y nadie contesta (Today I have called twice and nobody answers).

Present perfect rules →

Llamar in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De pequeño llamaba a mis abuelos cada noche (As a child I used to call my grandparents every night).

Imperfect rules →

Llamar in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llegué, ya habían llamado a la policía (When I arrived, they had already called the police).

Past perfect rules →

Llamar in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana te llamaré en cuanto llegue a casa (Tomorrow I will call you as soon as I get home).

Future tense rules →

Llamar in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para esta tarde ya habré llamado a todos los clientes (By this afternoon I will have called all the clients).

Future perfect rules →

Llamar in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar llamaría antes de ir (If I were you, I would call before going).

Conditional rules →

Llamar in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Te habría llamado, pero me quedé sin batería (I would have called you, but my battery died).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Llamar

Present Subjunctive of Llamar (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Quiero que me llames cuando llegues (I want you to call me when you arrive).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Llamar (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Espero que hayas llamado a tu jefe (I hope you have called your boss).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Llamar (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si llamaras antes, encontrarías a alguien en casa (If you called earlier, you would find someone at home).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Llamar (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras llamado antes, te habríamos esperado (If you had called earlier, we would have waited for you).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Llamar

Affirmative Commands of Llamar (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Llama a tu hermana ahora mismo! (Call your sister right now!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Llamar (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No llames tan tarde, por favor (Don't call so late, please).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Llamar

• Llamar la atención - to attract attention, to stand out
• Llamar a la puerta - to knock on the door
• Llamar por teléfono - to call on the phone
• Llamar a las cosas por su nombre - to call a spade a spade
• ¿Cómo te llamas? - what's your name? (reflexive form llamarse)