Llamar Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The present tense of llamar — to call — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. Llamar means to call and to be called: llamar por teléfono, me llamo Ana. As a reflexive verb, llamarse gives your name — the first sentence every learner needs. It is regular, and it takes the personal a before the person called: llamo a María. This page gives you the complete present tense table for llamar, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Yo llamo a mi madre cada domingo.” — “I call my mother every Sunday”.

Present tense conjugation of llamar

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for llamar. Llamar is a regular -ar verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.

Present tense indicative — llamar

Person Form
yo llamo
tú llamas
él/ella/Ud. llama
nosotros/as llamamos
vosotros/as llamáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. llaman

The gerund of llamar is llamando and the past participle is llamado. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for the progressive with estar.

How the present tense of llamar is formed

For a regular -ar verb, the present tense is built on the stem llam- (the infinitive llamar without its -ar ending) plus the present tense endings: yo → llamo, tú → llamas, él/ella/Ud. → llama, nosotros/as → llamamos, vosotros/as → llamáis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → llaman. So llamar gives llamo, llamas, llama, llamamos, llamáis and llaman. There is nothing irregular to memorise for this verb in this tense — the endings do all the work, and the stress falls where the endings put it.

A note on spelling: the written accents in this tense are part of the form, not decoration. In the present tense, llamáis carries an accent, and leaving it out changes the pronunciation and, in writing, marks the form as wrong. Copy the forms from the table above exactly, accents included.

When to use the present tense of llamar

1. Habits and routines

Use the present for things you do regularly. For example, with llamar: “Yo llamo a mi madre cada domingo.” — “I call my mother every Sunday”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. General truths and facts

Use the present for things that are always true. For example, with llamar: “Ella llama al médico por la mañana.” — “She calls the doctor in the morning”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. What is happening right now

Use the present for actions in progress at this moment. For example, with llamar: “Nosotros llamamos a los invitados uno por uno.” — “We call the guests one by one”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Scheduled plans and the near future

Use the present for fixed plans, especially with a time expression. For example, with llamar: “Ellos llaman a la puerta con fuerza.” — “They knock loudly on the door”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Present vs future: llamar now, llamar later

The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.

  • Present tense tense: “Yo llamo a mi madre todos los días.” — “I call my mother every day.”

  • Future: “Yo llamaré a mi madre mañana.” — “Tomorrow I will call my mother.”

  • Present tense tense: “Ella llama a mi madre ahora.” — “She calls my mother now.”

  • Future: “Ella llamará a mi madre la semana que viene.” — “Next week she will call my mother.”

  • Present tense tense: “Nosotros llamamos a mi madre en clase.” — “We call my mother in class.”

  • Future: “Nosotros llamaremos a mi madre el lunes.” — “On Monday we will call my mother.”

Example sentences: llamar in the present tense

Six sentences using only the present tense of llamar, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Yo llamo a mi madre cada domingo.” — “I call my mother every Sunday.”
  • “Ella llama al médico por la mañana.” — “She calls the doctor in the morning.”
  • “Nosotros llamamos a los invitados uno por uno.” — “We call the guests one by one.”
  • “Ellos llaman a la puerta con fuerza.” — “They knock loudly on the door.”
  • “¿Tú llamas por teléfono o en persona?” — “Do you call by phone or in person?”
  • “Vosotros llamáis al profesor si hay dudas.” — “You call the teacher if there are doubts.”

Common mistakes with llamar in the present tense

Mistake 1

Wrong: Me llamo Ana — learners say soy Ana for introductions.

Right: Me llamo Ana.

Introductions use llamarse: me llamo Ana, not soy Ana — though soy Ana is also heard, llamarse is the standard form.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Llamo María — missing personal a.

Right: Yo llamo a María.

People as direct objects need the personal a: llamo a María.

Quiz: llamar in the present tense

Eight questions on the present tense of llamar. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of llamar in the present tense?

  • A) llamo
  • B) llamas
  • C) llama
  • D) llamamos

Answer: A — The yo form in the present tense is llamo.

2. What is the tú form of llamar in the present tense?

  • A) llamo
  • B) llama
  • C) llamamos
  • D) llamas

Answer: D — The tú form in the present tense is llamas.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of llamar in the present tense?

  • A) llamas
  • B) llamamos
  • C) llama
  • D) llamo

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the present tense is llama.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of llamar in the present tense?

  • A) llama
  • B) llamamos
  • C) llamo
  • D) llamas

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the present tense is llamamos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Yo ___ a mi madre cada domingo.” (I call my mother every Sunday.)

  • A) llamo
  • B) llamas
  • C) llama
  • D) llamamos

Answer: A — The sentence needs llamo.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ al médico por la mañana.” (She calls the doctor in the morning.)

  • A) llamo
  • B) llamas
  • C) llamamos
  • D) llama

Answer: D — The sentence needs llama.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Me llamo Ana — learners say soy Ana for introductions.
  • B) Me llamo Ana.

Answer: B — Introductions use llamarse: me llamo Ana, not soy Ana — though soy Ana is also heard, llamarse is the standard form.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo llamo a María.
  • B) Llamo María — missing personal a.

Answer: A — People as direct objects need the personal a: llamo a María.

Frequently asked questions

Is llamar regular in the present tense?

Yes. llamar is a regular -ar verb and its present tense follows the standard endings, so once you know the stem llam- you can build all six forms. The only thing to watch is the spelling of the endings themselves, including the accents.

What is the yo form of llamar in the present tense?

It is llamo. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for llamar it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the present tense of llamar instead of the preterite?

Use the present when the action is a habit, a fact, or happening now, and the preterite when it is a finished action in the past. If you can add “yesterday” to the sentence and it still makes sense, you almost certainly need the preterite, not the present.

How can I remember the present tense forms of llamar?

Say the six forms aloud in order — llamo, llamas, llama, llamamos, llamáis, llaman — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for llamar to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo llamo…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo llamé…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo llamaré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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