Dígame
Answer, leave a message, survive a bad line, and hang up politely — out loud.
Phone Spanish is formal by default — start in usted and stay there for the whole call. How you answer depends on where you are: ¿Bueno? in Mexico and Central America, Aló in the Caribbean and Andes, ¿Diga? in Spain, a plain Hola in Argentina. When someone asks ¿de parte de quién?, the answer is your name — de parte de Andrés — the moment that freezes most learners. And with no faces or gestures to lean on, your safety net matters more than ever: disculpe, no lo escucho bien and ¿puede hablar un poco más despacio, por favor?
Below: the phrases that carry a call from dígame to a polite goodbye, what locals actually say, the slips that derail calls — and a way to rehearse a real phone call out loud before you dial one for real.
Say this
Regional Spanish
Textbooks teach one word. Locals use several — pick your region's and stay consistent.
| English | Mexico | Argentina |
|---|---|---|
| Hello? (answering) | ¿Bueno? | Hola / ¿Sí? |
| Have him call me back | Me marca cuando pueda | Que me llame cuando pueda |
| Who's calling? | ¿De parte de quién, por favor? | ¿De parte de quién sos? |
Watch out
The part no phrase list can do
Isabella
Your conversation teacher for this pack
In the Dígame pack, the final lesson is a real phone call — and Isabella plays the receptionist at Dr. Ramírez's office: calm, efficient, juggling other lines, strictly usted, and she reads every appointment back twice to confirm. You're calling mid-morning to reschedule your appointment — and the line has interference, so you'll have to ask her to repeat and slow down. If the doctor isn't in, you leave a voicemail with your name and number. Out loud, with no visual cues. And she talks back:
Blank mid-sentence and nothing bad happens — she waits. That's the practice, without unnecessary judgement.
Finish the 5 lessons and Dígame is yours — earned, not given.
First 10 lessons free · 10-minute spoken lessons · your AI coaching team remembers you
Quick answers
It depends on the country: ¿Bueno? in Mexico and Central America, Aló in the Caribbean and Andes, ¿Diga? or ¿Sí, dígame? in Spain, and a plain Hola or ¿Sí? in Argentina and Uruguay.
Literally "tell me" — it's a standard, polite way to answer or to invite the caller to state their business: Buenos días, dígame. It sounds brisk to English ears but it's perfectly courteous.
They're asking who's calling — answer with your name: de parte de Andrés. It's the classic freeze moment; learners hear an unfamiliar formula and answer ¿qué? Just give the name.
¿Le puedo dejar un mensaje?, then the essentials: dígale que llamó Andrés, por favor and your number — dictate it in blocks of two or three digits, and check it landed: ¿podría repetirme el número, por favor?
Disculpe, no lo escucho bien, hay mucha interferencia — or ¿puede hablar un poco más despacio, por favor? If the line is failing: se está cortando la llamada, ¿me oye? For a bad signal, no le oigo bien is the natural verb — oír, not escuchar.
