Forums > Specific Focus > Learning Spanish

Georgia

Sep 25, 2002, 5:13 PM

Post #1 of 6 (822 views)

Shortcut

Answering the telephone

Can't Post |

It's finally happened: I've lived in too many Spanish speaking countries and I always say the wrong thing when I answer the phone! Jim in Cancun mentioned saying "Bueno" when answering the phone. Ok, now: is this said as a question? Bueno? or as a statement? Bueno. In Spain, believe it or not, we said, (rather brusquely, I might add) "Digame." In Colombia "Que hay?" Are there any other greetings on the telephone we might need to be aware of. Telephone etiquette really differs from country to country! How about ending the call, any special formulaic language, or is the usual "Que le vaya bien" sufficient? Gracias.

LdN

Sep 25, 2002, 7:15 PM

Post #2 of 6 (795 views)

Shortcut

Answering the telephone

Can't Post |

How about Hola and Adios or Hasta Luego which Ive heard used before.: It's finally happened: I've lived in too many Spanish speaking countries and I always say the wrong thing when I answer the phone! Jim in Cancun mentioned saying "Bueno" when answering the phone. Ok, now: is this said as a question? Bueno? or as a statement? Bueno. In Spain, believe it or not, we said, (rather brusquely, I might add) "Digame." In Colombia "Que hay?" Are there any other greetings on the telephone we might need to be aware of. Telephone etiquette really differs from country to country! How about ending the call, any special formulaic language, or is the usual "Que le vaya bien" sufficient? Gracias.

Jim en Cancún

Sep 26, 2002, 6:52 AM

Post #3 of 6 (793 views)

Shortcut

the telephone conversations and etiquette 'n stuff

Can't Post |

Georgia

Sep 26, 2002, 9:31 AM

Post #4 of 6 (794 views)

Shortcut

the telephone conversations and etiquette 'n stuff

Can't Post |

Thanks a lot, Jim. I startled friends in Ecuador with my "Digame" and don't want to repeat the experience! So, "Bueno" it is. Now if I can convince my children to do more than mumble on the phone, in any language, we should be socially acceptable. By the way, "De parte de quien?" is also very (Spain) Spanish. Now, another question: in South America, if I want to tell someone to pass by me, or to enter a place, or if they ask to get by me, I say, "Siga, no mas." or "Pase, no mas." Will this fly in Mexico?I ask, because it is these little formulaic niceties that lubricate social interactions. It is important to me to be proper with my Mexican hosts. I remember always being offended by Americans who never seemed to take the time to even say hello before launching into their concerns when I lived in Spain.: I have heard the word "bueno" both as a question(bueno?), a statement (bueno.)and accentuated on the last letter--buenÓ--and again both in the affirmative and the questioning tone.: Of course how you answer depends on the situation. In a work situation you would answer much the same as in English--with the name of the company--possibly your name, depending on company policy and whether you are the operator, an employee or an executive.: The other thing is that many words and/or phrases sound rude or brusque WHEN WE TRANSLATE THEM INTO OUR NATIVE TONGUE which is a reflection of our native culture. To say "Diga" when answering the phone or "Aquí no más" to a taxi driver or "Dame un kilo" when asking for cold meat may SEEM brusque or even rude when the culture does not necessarily so define it. It just SOUNDS that way when we translate it into "Speak!" or "Right here!" or "Gimme a couple pounds!" And translating "our" niceties (usually expressed by using auxiliary verbs like could, would, may, might,etc.)into Spanish may be understandable but are usually not common.: Another thing which can and usually does disturb many English speakers is when someone who answers the phone says:: ¿De parte de quién?"=(May I say)who's calling?: (Because of the way the question is worded, there is no easy way out of this one without being "rude"--so just give your name. Which brings up another problem! People ask for your name and then since it is "foreign" name like Jim Wehrle they don't understand what you are saying anyway and unless you know how to spell your name in Spanish [when you really didn't want to give your name anyway]you can end up getting frustrated. So it is better to have a prepared answer to all of these questions to avoid that.): ¿Adónde hablo?=Where am I calling?: ¿Quién habla?"=Who's speaking?: (Again, because of the way the questions are worded, there is no easy way out of these without being "rude" either. So have some stock answers ready and give your name and/or number or a semi-polite comeback like ¿Adónde (Con quién) quiere hablar?): Now when it comes to ending the call, you will hear lots of "filler" words which are like, uh-huh, sure, right, ok then,etc=bueno pues,sale pues, ándale pues, órale pues, etc. before you get to the adios, bye, ciao, que estés bien, nos vemos, nos estamos en contacto, sale vale,etc.: Hope this helps.

Andy in Aguas

Sep 26, 2002, 5:40 PM

Post #5 of 6 (789 views)

Shortcut

the telephone conversations and etiquette 'n stuff

Can't Post |

"Bueno" is the way you answer the telephone in Mexico. This is not true in all Latin American countries. In Costa Rica, for example, it is "halo". In some Latin American countries, it is considered rude to answer the telephone with "Bueno", so you will have to check with someone from that country to know the correct way to answer the phone. : Thanks a lot, Jim. I startled friends in Ecuador with my "Digame" and don't want to repeat the experience! So, "Bueno" it is. Now if I can convince my children to do more than mumble on the phone, in any language, we should be socially acceptable. By the way, "De parte de quien?" is also very (Spain) Spanish. : Now, another question: in South America, if I want to tell someone to pass by me, or to enter a place, or if they ask to get by me, I say, "Siga, no mas." or "Pase, no mas." Will this fly in Mexico?: I ask, because it is these little formulaic niceties that lubricate social interactions. It is important to me to be proper with my Mexican hosts. I remember always being offended by Americans who never seemed to take the time to even say hello before launching into their concerns when I lived in Spain.: : I have heard the word "bueno" both as a question(bueno?), a statement (bueno.)and accentuated on the last letter--buenÓ--and again both in the affirmative and the questioning tone.: : Of course how you answer depends on the situation. In a work situation you would answer much the same as in English--with the name of the company--possibly your name, depending on company policy and whether you are the operator, an employee or an executive.: : The other thing is that many words and/or phrases sound rude or brusque WHEN WE TRANSLATE THEM INTO OUR NATIVE TONGUE which is a reflection of our native culture. To say "Diga" when answering the phone or "Aquí no más" to a taxi driver or "Dame un kilo" when asking for cold meat may SEEM brusque or even rude when the culture does not necessarily so define it. It just SOUNDS that way when we translate it into "Speak!" or "Right here!" or "Gimme a couple pounds!" And translating "our" niceties (usually expressed by using auxiliary verbs like could, would, may, might,etc.)into Spanish may be understandable but are usually not common.: : Another thing which can and usually does disturb many English speakers is when someone who answers the phone says:: : ¿De parte de quién?"=(May I say)who's calling?: : (Because of the way the question is worded, there is no easy way out of this one without being "rude"--so just give your name. Which brings up another problem! People ask for your name and then since it is "foreign" name like Jim Wehrle they don't understand what you are saying anyway and unless you know how to spell your name in Spanish [when you really didn't want to give your name anyway]you can end up getting frustrated. So it is better to have a prepared answer to all of these questions to avoid that.): : ¿Adónde hablo?=Where am I calling?: : ¿Quién habla?"=Who's speaking?: : (Again, because of the way the questions are worded, there is no easy way out of these without being "rude" either. So have some stock answers ready and give your name and/or number or a semi-polite comeback like ¿Adónde (Con quién) quiere hablar?): : Now when it comes to ending the call, you will hear lots of "filler" words which are like, uh-huh, sure, right, ok then,etc=bueno pues,sale pues, ándale pues, órale pues, etc. before you get to the adios, bye, ciao, que estés bien, nos vemos, nos estamos en contacto, sale vale,etc.: : Hope this helps.

Jim en Cancún

Sep 26, 2002, 6:42 PM

Post #6 of 6 (810 views)

Shortcut

to pass by me=pase usted (primero) or pásale or adelante nfm

Can't Post |

: Thanks a lot, Jim. I startled friends in Ecuador with my "Digame" and don't want to repeat the experience! So, "Bueno" it is. Now if I can convince my children to do more than mumble on the phone, in any language, we should be socially acceptable. By the way, "De parte de quien?" is also very (Spain) Spanish. : Now, another question: in South America, if I want to tell someone to pass by me, or to enter a place, or if they ask to get by me, I say, "Siga, no mas." or "Pase, no mas." Will this fly in Mexico?: I ask, because it is these little formulaic niceties that lubricate social interactions. It is important to me to be proper with my Mexican hosts. I remember always being offended by Americans who never seemed to take the time to even say hello before launching into their concerns when I lived in Spain.: : I have heard the word "bueno" both as a question(bueno?), a statement (bueno.)and accentuated on the last letter--buenÓ--and again both in the affirmative and the questioning tone.: : Of course how you answer depends on the situation. In a work situation you would answer much the same as in English--with the name of the company--possibly your name, depending on company policy and whether you are the operator, an employee or an executive.: : The other thing is that many words and/or phrases sound rude or brusque WHEN WE TRANSLATE THEM INTO OUR NATIVE TONGUE which is a reflection of our native culture. To say "Diga" when answering the phone or "Aquí no más" to a taxi driver or "Dame un kilo" when asking for cold meat may SEEM brusque or even rude when the culture does not necessarily so define it. It just SOUNDS that way when we translate it into "Speak!" or "Right here!" or "Gimme a couple pounds!" And translating "our" niceties (usually expressed by using auxiliary verbs like could, would, may, might,etc.)into Spanish may be understandable but are usually not common.: : Another thing which can and usually does disturb many English speakers is when someone who answers the phone says:: : ¿De parte de quién?"=(May I say)who's calling?: : (Because of the way the question is worded, there is no easy way out of this one without being "rude"--so just give your name. Which brings up another problem! People ask for your name and then since it is "foreign" name like Jim Wehrle they don't understand what you are saying anyway and unless you know how to spell your name in Spanish [when you really didn't want to give your name anyway]you can end up getting frustrated. So it is better to have a prepared answer to all of these questions to avoid that.): : ¿Adónde hablo?=Where am I calling?: : ¿Quién habla?"=Who's speaking?: : (Again, because of the way the questions are worded, there is no easy way out of these without being "rude" either. So have some stock answers ready and give your name and/or number or a semi-polite comeback like ¿Adónde (Con quién) quiere hablar?): : Now when it comes to ending the call, you will hear lots of "filler" words which are like, uh-huh, sure, right, ok then,etc=bueno pues,sale pues, ándale pues, órale pues, etc. before you get to the adios, bye, ciao, que estés bien, nos vemos, nos estamos en contacto, sale vale,etc.: : Hope this helps.