How to make a phone call in Spanish

One of the hardest things to do in any foreign language is to use the telephone. When we speak face-to-face we pick up innumerable cues about the meaning from the expression of the person we are talking to, their body language, their gestures and particularly their eyes. We don't have any of that on the phone - all we have is a stream of sound.

For ex-pats in Spain, even with a fair grasp of the language, making phone calls is still by far the most difficult communication task. Many people remain reluctant because of a mixture of fear and embarrassment, a worry that they might end up with an unwanted delivery, or some vital service will get cut off accidentally. The worry about inadvertent consequences is a powerful disincentive for many ex-pats to brave the phone, even if they are able to have a conversation face-to-face in Spanish. Many have lived in Spain for years and still fight shy of a telephone call.

Some have had the following experience. They call the number, then explain that they are English. They repeat a phrase they've learned asking if there is an English speaker available and are told that there isn't. There then follows a few stuttered nouns with perhaps the odd verb, a nervous giggle, and the call is terminated while the Spanish person is still talking. A negative experience all round. But it doesn't have to be that way. Even with a small amount of Spanish, it is possible to use the phone effectively.

But first you need to prepare yourself for the call. You need some phrases available to tell the person on the other end that you speak English, and of course, you can ask if there's an English speaker present, but you need to prepare for the negative answer. You have prepared them by telling them that you are not a native Spanish speaker so they will make some allowances.

You need to be able to ask them to speak slowly, and you need to prepare exactly what you want to ask them. If you are querying something to do with an account, you need to prepare some vocabulary to deal with it, including account numbers, dates, and other details. That might take a few minutes with a dictionary but it really will pay off.

If something needs a repair, you need the vocabulary for a breakdown (avería), a repair (arreglo or reparación), and you need the vocabulary to describe the item. You need a list of the words easily legible in large print nearby. You don't want to spend time shuffling papers looking for the word while someone is speaking to you.

First let's prepare some phrases that set the scene. You can find lots more very easily on the web but the important thing is to prepare them for use. Have them available.

I am English
yo soy inglés

My surname is...
Mi apellido es...

My address is...
Mi dirección es...

Can you speak slowly please
¿por favor, puede hablar despacio?

Is there anyone who can speak English please?
¿Por favor, hay alguien que puede hablar inglés?

OK!
¡Vale!

Please tell it to me again....
Por favor, dimelo otra vez

I have a problem with....
Tengo un problema con...

My account number is...
Mi número de cuenta es...

Can I confirm that...
Puedo confirmarlo que...

Sorry, I don't understand
Lo siento, no comprendo

I need to arrange for...
Necesito arreglar para que...

Can you deliver it tomorrow?
¿Puede entregarlo mañana?

I need to ask another question
Necesito hacer una pregunta más

General strategy

You need to retain the initiative and as far as possible get them to answer your questions with a Yes or No. If you get into a long explanation from them, you are likely to get lost very quickly and will have difficulty re-establishing the initiative. You can interrupt them politely with "por favor, momentito. No comprendo..." and they will let you continue provided you ask a question.

Therefore you need to have a set of prepared questions which establish what you need to know. For example, if you have asked them if they can deliver something tomorrow, you need to ask them if they will deliver it tomorrow. The follow-up question confirms what you need to know, so it is important to ask that question.

Don't be at all shy about explaining that you do not understand, but be sure to ask the next question so that you re-establish the initiative. Most people will respond very well and will try to help. As long as your questions can be answered, they will try to do so.

Preparation

Collect together all the information about accounts, order numbers, products, services, your NIE, all the details you might need to provide, and make a note of the vocabulary. For example, factura is a bill so you will probably hear "número de factura", or "número de cuenta". Fecha means date, so you will hear "¿cuál fecha?". By preparing the vocabulary beforehand, you will pick up extra cues when you hear them.

Prepare your speaking. Although you might have written down your questions, your mouth will not be used to pronouncing the words, and when you come to do so, they may feel clumsy and awkward, which will distract you. Practice saying the question out loud. Practice saying your NIE or account numbers out loud, and the date on bills.

"Hola, soy inglés. ¿Hay alguien que puede hablar inglés, por favor?" Say it out loud five times beforehand and it will feel more natural when you use it on the phone. Think about what they might say in return so you are primed to hear it. They might say "Si, momentito" which mean Yes, hang on a minute. Or they might say "Lo siento, no hay nadie" which means, Sorry there's no-one.

Now prepare your list of questions, preferably on paper with enough space to note down the answers. If you can, try to write down what you think the Spanish is, but also immediately write down the English answer as well. Sometimes you will notice that what you wrote down in English is actually a mistake and the actual Spanish helps you understand exactly what they really said. For example, it wasn't just mañana (tomorrow) but mañana por la mañana (tomorrow morning). It is helpful after the call is over, to run through what was said and that helps clarify in your mind how the call went.

Before you make the call, tell those nearby to be quiet and to avoid calling out anything to you. They will have a tendency to think of useful things to ask, helpful vocabulary, extra things to check, and with the best will in the world, will try to become a third party to the call.  Tell them that it is unhelpful and unwelcome.  They will try to help but will end up creating confusion.

During the call

During the call, make sure you ask all the relevant questions. Don't let the anxiety cloud your purpose. Ask your most important question first and don't be shy to say that you didn't understand. Don't be rushed. All office departments try to be efficient and they will try to end the call quickly but tell them you have another question or ask them repeat something slower just to make sure you understood.

When you feel you have all the information you need, try if you can to repeat the answers and get them to acknowledge they are correct. For example, if you think they will deliver something tomorrow, you can say "Entonces, va a entregarlo mañana, si?" (So you're going to deliver it tomorrow, yes?). Getting confirmation of what you have established makes you much more confident.

During the call, try to make sure anyone nearby avoids calling helpful hints to you such as vocabulary they think is helpful - it isn't.  In fact it is very distracting and creates a lot of confusion and anxiety.  If necessary, pause the call with "Momentito por favor," and ask those nearby to be quiet and to stop calling to you.  If they've been advised beforehand that it's unhelpful they might have respected your request but in the excitement, some no doubt will forget.  You need to deal with it.

Finally, just to make the person you have called feel appreciated, you can say something like "Muchas gracias por su paciencia" which means "Thank you for your patience." It's hard for people dealing with customers who don't speak their language well and it takes more effort. So we should show our appreciation. There's no duty for them to speak English, but there is a practical and cultural requirement for us to speak Spanish. We should not assume that they ought to speak English.  The English arrogance on this matter causes embarrassment to those ex-pats making an effort to integrate.

Accepting the failures with a smile

You will make mistakes, and you will be misunderstood, but increasingly often, the call will be successful. And as you recognise the common phrases, your responses will improve and you will be less nervous. But the really important thing is to keep trying and not let the failures put you off. Whether the call was successful or not, you still spoke Spanish, you still communicated, you still listened and understood something, and you still did the preparation for the call. You learned some vocabulary, and practised speaking. All of that is an achievement and it helps you improve your Spanish. Each call is an intensive lesson and you benefit from each one.

Remain positive

Making a call in Spanish is the hardest thing for an ex-pat to do and can be very stressful. It puts you on the spot requiring an instant response, and depending on what you say, something consequential might happen. And you are speaking into the void, with no visual cues to help. But doing this successfully a few times helps your confidence enormously. Remember, most people want to be helpful and if you show willing, it is repaid in droves.