I can make a call and leave a message if the person isn't there, and fill out a form with personal details: last names, date of birth, signature.
On the phone and on paper
The call and the form
llamar por teléfono — “to call on the phone”: por, no article. In Spain you answer the phone with ¿Dígame? or ¿Sí?
If the person isn't there: ¿Puedo dejar un recado? — to leave a message for someone to pass on. In writing it's mandar un mensaje; by voice, mandar un audio. Nobody answers — no contesta. To end the call — colgar (cuelgo, cuelgas, cuelga).
A number: first the prefijo (country or area code), then the number itself. In Spain it's read out in pairs of digits: 612 34 56 78 — “seis uno dos, treinta y cuatro, cincuenta y seis, setenta y ocho”.
The form: hay que rellenar el formulario. The fields are in the table above. At the bottom you have to firmar, and that gives you la firma.
A Spaniard has two last names — the father's and the mother's — so the form says apellidos, in the plural: Mis apellidos son Ortega Bravo.
A date on a form starts with the day, not the month: 14/03/1995 = el catorce de marzo de mil novecientos noventa y cinco.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “llamar al teléfono” — correct: llamar por teléfono.
• NOT “Te llamo en el teléfono” — correct: Te llamo por teléfono.
• NOT “Rellena tu firma” — correct: Firma aquí: rellenar is for a form, firmar for a signature.
• NOT “Mi apellido es Ortega Bravo” — correct: Mis apellidos son Ortega Bravo.
• NOT “03/14/1995” and NOT “1995/03/14” — correct: 14/03/1995.
Fields on a Spanish form
This is how the lines are labeled on a hotel, clinic, or school form.
| Field | In English | What you write |
|---|---|---|
| Nombre | first name | Diego |
| Apellidos | last names — there are two | Salas Cuesta |
| Fecha de nacimiento | date of birth | 02/09/1988 |
| DNI | ID card | 12345678Z |
| Teléfono | phone: code and number | 34 · 917 22 11 05 |
| Firma | handwritten signature | Firma aquí |
Lesson notes
The call and the form
llamar por teléfono — “to call on the phone”: por, no article. In Spain you answer the phone with ¿Dígame? or ¿Sí?
If the person isn't there: ¿Puedo dejar un recado? — to leave a message for someone to pass on. In writing it's mandar un mensaje; by voice, mandar un audio. Nobody answers — no contesta. To end the call — colgar (cuelgo, cuelgas, cuelga).
A number: first the prefijo (country or area code), then the number itself. In Spain it's read out in pairs of digits: 612 34 56 78 — “seis uno dos, treinta y cuatro, cincuenta y seis, setenta y ocho”.
The form: hay que rellenar el formulario. The fields are in the table above. At the bottom you have to firmar, and that gives you la firma.
A Spaniard has two last names — the father's and the mother's — so the form says apellidos, in the plural: Mis apellidos son Ortega Bravo.
A date on a form starts with the day, not the month: 14/03/1995 = el catorce de marzo de mil novecientos noventa y cinco.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “llamar al teléfono” — correct: llamar por teléfono.
• NOT “Te llamo en el teléfono” — correct: Te llamo por teléfono.
• NOT “Rellena tu firma” — correct: Firma aquí: rellenar is for a form, firmar for a signature.
• NOT “Mi apellido es Ortega Bravo” — correct: Mis apellidos son Ortega Bravo.
• NOT “03/14/1995” and NOT “1995/03/14” — correct: 14/03/1995.