# Call back - I'll call her back



## Pirulo1234

Hello everyone,

I've read the sentence "I'll call her back" in an English course I'm doing and the translation that appeared in the book was "La llamaré otra vez". I'm a little bit confused, because so far I thought that the phrasal verb "to call back" meant to return a call to someone who had already call you sooner. However, in this translation we're using the verb "to call back" as a synonym of "to call again". Is this use of the verb right?

Thank you.


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## Ferrol

Tienes razón. "Le devolveré la llamada" o "la llamaré de nuevo" me parecen las mejores opciones, aunque, en el contexto apropiado, "la llamaré otra vez" significa lo mismo , y no creo que se preste a malentendidos


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## fenixpollo

Yes, Pirulo, "call her back" can mean "she called me and I'm going to return her call" or it can also mean "she never called me and I'm going to call her a second time."


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## Galván

La llamaré otra vez no significa _I will call her back. _

I will call her back ~ la llamaré de vuelta, le regresaré la llamada, le devolveré la llamada.
La llamaré otra vez/la llamaré denuevo  ~ I will call her again


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## Ferrol

La volveré a llamar o las otras opciones que di me parecen mejores, pero, en el contexto adecuado, "la llamaré otra vez" pienso que también transmite el sentido también


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## elprofe

Como bien ha dicho @fenixpollo "_call sb back_" tiene dos significados:

1) Llamar a alguien de nuevo (she never called me and I'm going to call her a second time)
2) Devolver la llamada a alguien (She called me and I'm going to return her call)


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## Ferrol

elprofe said:


> Como bien ha dicho @fenixpollo "_call sb back_" tiene dos significados:
> 
> 1) Llamar a alguien de nuevo (she never called me and I'm going to call her a second time)
> 2) Devolver la llamada a alguien (She called me and I'm going to return her call)


👍 Its meaning depends on its context


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## gengo

elprofe said:


> Como bien ha dicho @fenixpollo "_call sb back_" tiene dos significados:
> 
> 1) Llamar a alguien de nuevo (she never called me and I'm going to call her a second time)
> 2) Devolver la llamada a alguien (She called me and I'm going to return her call)


I agree with Fenixpollo on this, but will add that this phrasal verb is rarely used in meaning #1, in my opinion.  I would say something like "I'll call her again / give her another call."  I would guess that the verb means #2 at least 99% of the time.

Therefore, I share Pirulo's confusion about the usage here, and would be interested to see the context in which it occurred.


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## Elcowboybebop

gengo said:


> I agree with Fenixpollo on this, but will add that this phrasal verb is rarely used in meaning #1, in my opinion.  I would say something like "I'll call her again / give her another call."  I would guess that the verb means #2 at least 99% of the time.
> 
> Therefore, I share Pirulo's confusion about the usage here, and would be interested to see the context in which it occurred.


And what of the everyday constructions (that you'll hear very often in daily exchanges of a lower register) such as "yeah, I'll call her back again, [to] see if she answers" or "I'm gonna call her back one more time, [to] see if she picks up (answers.)"?


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## gengo

Elcowboybebop said:


> And what of the everyday constructions (that you'll hear very often in daily exchanges of a lower register) such as "yeah, I'll call her back again, [to] see if she answers" or "I'm gonna call her back one more time, [to] see if she picks up (answers.)"?


I would say that such constructions are just sloppy speech, and are redundant, as there is no reason to use both "back" and "again."  I'm not saying that I myself am never sloppy, but I try to avoid such things.

My main point is just that it seems wrong for an English exercise book to translate "I'll call her back" as "La llamaré otra vez," since the vast majority of the time that English will not have that meaning.

"{verb} + back" generally has the meaning of returning the verb action to the other person, not of simply repeating the action.  For example, if I say that "he hit me back," you will rightly understand that I hit him first, and he returned the action to me, not that he hit me twice.  Therefore, while "to call back" is indeed sometimes used by NESs to mean "to call again," that is not the normal usage of the verb.


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## Elcowboybebop

gengo said:


> I would say that such constructions are just sloppy speech, and are redundant, as there is no reason to use both "back" and "again."  I'm not saying that I myself am never sloppy, but I try to avoid such things.
> 
> My main point is just that it seems wrong for an English exercise book to translate "I'll call her back" as "La llamaré otra vez," since the vast majority of the time that English will not have that meaning.
> 
> "{verb} + back" generally has the meaning of returning the verb action to the other person, not of simply repeating the action.  For example, if I say that "he hit me back," you will rightly understand that I hit him first, and he returned the action to me, not that he hit me twice.  Therefore, while "to call back" is indeed sometimes used by NESs to mean "to call again," that is not the normal usage of the verb.


I suppose i would agree with your take on the matter. However, such "sloppy" constructions are very common. Many native Spanish speakers have heard such constructions as "te llamaré para atras" (as much as they might despise it or designate such talk to the realm of xyz [insert negative connotation here]


gengo said:


> I would say that such constructions are just sloppy speech, and are redundant, as there is no reason to use both "back" and "again."  I'm not saying that I myself am never sloppy, but I try to avoid such things.
> 
> My main point is just that it seems wrong for an English exercise book to translate "I'll call her back" as "La llamaré otra vez," since the vast majority of the time that English will not have that meaning.
> 
> "{verb} + back" generally has the meaning of returning the verb action to the other person, not of simply repeating the action.  For example, if I say that "he hit me back," you will rightly understand that I hit him first, and he returned the action to me, not that he hit me twice.  Therefore, while "to call back" is indeed sometimes used by NESs to mean "to call again," that is not the normal usage of the verb.


I agree that such constructions are considerably redundant, while also being very common in certain areas. 
The translation of "llamar a alguien otra vez" strictly speaking (i.e in the case of textbooks) ought not be seen as expressing "to call someone back". While i agree with Ferrol and Fenixpollo that outside of the strict confinement of rigorous translation, it may be seen as expressing "to call back" depending on the context.


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## OtroLencho

Elcowboybebop said:


> Many native Spanish speakers have heard such constructions as "te llamaré para atras"



Something I hear a lot among heritage speakers in Washington State (and still cringe at), but I would be shocked to hear it from an actual native speaker in a Spanish-speaking country.


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## Ferrol

OtroLencho said:


> Something I hear a lot among heritage speakers in Washington State (and still cringe at), but I would be shocked to hear it from an actual native speaker in a Spanish-speaking country.


Indeed. It sounds awful in these parts


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## Elcowboybebop

OtroLencho said:


> Something I hear a lot among heritage speakers in Washington State (and still cringe at), but I would be shocked to hear it from an actual native speaker in a Spanish-speaking country.


Many native speakers use this, I'm sure others natives can inform you of this. I do admit it is a bit confusing to hear. Yet, there are places in Latin America where this is used. I'm sorry to shock you.


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## Galván

OtroLencho said:


> Something I hear a lot among heritage speakers in Washington State (and still cringe at), but I would be shocked to hear it from an actual native speaker in a Spanish-speaking country.


You'd be surprised to see how many people use this form of language in Washington State, a very low register Spanish, usually spoken by second generation Latinos born in the states who've learned to speak like this from their parents who came to work in the farms.

"Llámamae pa' tras" ~ call me back (unfortunately, as bad as it sounds, it's a reality in WA state).


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## Elcowboybebop

Ferrol said:


> Indeed. It sounds awful in these parts


Have you heard this in spain? I'm curious. I have heard it from several natives of Latin America.



Galván said:


> You'd be surprised to see how many people use this form of language in Washington State, a very low register Spanish, usually spoken by second generation Latinos born in the states who've learned to speak like this from their parents who came to work in the farms.
> 
> "Llámamae pa' tras" ~ call me back, and I cringe every time I hear it. I used to correct people who didn't speak Spanish correctly however people take it personal and so I gave up.


I'm not sure what its origin is exactly, but i think its used in certain urbanized areas within certain parts of Latin America. The same can be said of urban English (which also breaks many of the rules of formal English.) 
And while I myself do not take on this manner of speech, I wouldn't dare correct those who speak this way (especially not native speakers of urban English. I wouldn't suggest this either, outside of special circumstances.)


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## Ferrol

I haven’t ever heard that. If I had I would at first be puzzled and then it would give me the creeps once I knew what the person saying that was on about


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## OtroLencho

Elcowboybebop said:


> I have heard it from several natives of Latin America.



That surprises me.  Do you happen to know whether they learned it there, or picked it up in the U.S.?

I just assumed it's a calque from English...


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## elprofe

Elcowboybebop said:


> Have you heard this in spain? I'm curious. I have heard it from several natives of Latin America.


It's not used here in Spain. The closest expression to "I'll call you back" could be "Te llamo de vuelta".
No sé cómo reaccionaría si escuchara "Te llamo para atrás"... Quizás me reiría, o miraría a la otra persona con cara de wtf?


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## Elcowboybebop

OtroLencho said:


> That surprises me.  Do you happen to know whether they learned it there, or picked it up in the U.S.?


If I were to guess it would have something to do with the musical influence of reggaeton artists on the younger generation and whatever connection they have to the English language (since a large number of them are bilingual in Spanish and English to whatever extent.)


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## Ferrol

It’s a literal and absolutey superfluous import from English . I don’t mean any offence to those thinking otherwise


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## Elcowboybebop

elprofe said:


> It's not used here in Spain. The closest expression to "I'll call you back" could be "Te llamo de vuelta".
> No sé cómo reaccionaría si escuchara "Te llamo para atrás"... Quizás me reiría, o miraría a la otra persona con cara de wtf?


Hahaha i have no doubt you would have many such reactions to certain expressions native to different Latin America countries. However, maybe for you, "te llamo para atrás" takes the cake.


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## Ferrol

Elcowboybebop said:


> Hahaha i have no doubt you would have many such reactions to certain expressions native to different Latin America countries. However, maybe for you, "te llamo para atrás" takes the cake.


Yes. It takes the biscuit😉


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## OtroLencho

Elcowboybebop said:


> I'm not sure what its origin is exactly, but i think its used in certain urbanized areas within certain parts of Latin America.



Do you happen to have more specifics?  I've been around a lot of Latin America, and am pretty sure the first time I heard the term was among the U.S. Latino population.


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## Elcowboybebop

OtroLencho said:


> Do you happen to have more specifics?  I've been around a lot of Latin America, and am pretty sure the first time I heard the term was among the U.S. Latino population.





OtroLencho said:


> Do you happen to have more specifics?  I've been around a lot of Latin America, and am pretty sure the first time I heard the term was among the U.S. Latino population.


Yes. I'm sorry. It seems to be one many borrowed expressions from English. Its mostly used by Dominicans/Puertoricans who use a more urban Spanish. They are not "2nd generation Hispanics". Some are bilingual to some extent and others are monolingual Spanish speakers.



Ferrol said:


> Yes. It takes the biscuit😉


Not for me. I've heard many much more confusing expressions.


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## Ferrol

Elcowboybebop said:


> Not for me. I've heard many much more confusing expressions.


I guess that’s what comes from listening to Spanglish speakers everyday


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## Elcowboybebop

Ferrol said:


> It’s a literal and absolutey superfluous import from English . I don’t mean any offence to those thinking otherwise


I am inclined to agree. That goes for any directly borrowed literal translation from English to Spanish where there is already a well-established Spanish expression in use.


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## Ferrol

Elcowboybebop said:


> I am inclined to agree. That goes for any directly borrowed literal translation from English to Spanish where there is already a well-established Spanish expression in use.


Actually not one but several options to pick out


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## Elcowboybebop

Ferrol said:


> I guess that’s what comes from listening to Spanglish speakers everyday


Not at all. I find many expressions from even other English speaking countries to be very strange, mostly slang expressions. Some even in my own country here in the U.S.
Lets have a slice of humble pie with a side of objectivity, and relax.



Ferrol said:


> Actually not one but several options to pick out


Certainly, for example "hacer sentido" instead of "tener sentido", and many such other examples one can make reference to.


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## Galván

Elcowboybebop said:


> Certainly, for example "hacer sentido" instead of "tener sentido", and many such other examples one can make reference to.


O cambiar tu mente (change your mind) en lugar de cambiar de parecer.


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## Elcowboybebop

Galván said:


> O cambiar tu mente (change your mind) en lugar de cambiar de parecer.


Also in place of "cambiar de opinión", no?


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## Galván

Elcowboybebop said:


> Also in place of "cambiar de opinión", no?


Sí, cambiar de opinion o de parecer, lo mismo.


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## Ferrol

Elcowboybebop said:


> Certainly, for example "hacer sentido" instead of "tener sentido", and many such other examples one can make reference to.


Yes. You can’t stem the tide  but I still think we on both sides of the pond should pull our weight so that we don’t end up being separated by a common language


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## Elcowboybebop

Ferrol said:


> Yes. You can’t stem the tide  but I still think we on both sides of the pond should pull our weight so that we don’t end up being separated by a common language


The socio-linguistic change that takes place on a lower register is very difficult to follow sometimes. I think this is due to popular culture entirely. Its because of this rapid change, and, also, lack of application in matters which I find most intriguing, that I do not include urban expressions in my working vocabulary. I don't find their addition to my repertoire to have much utility value, at least for my purposes (unless, I need to translate such expressions/phrases ---which i find to be an admirable skill.)


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## OtroLencho

Elcowboybebop said:


> Yes. I'm sorry. It seems to be one many borrowed expressions from English. Its mostly used by Dominicans/Puertoricans who use a more urban Spanish. They are not "2nd generation Hispanics". Some are bilingual to some extent and others are monolingual Spanish speakers.



Something I observe here to the west of the Mississippi (where most Hispanics are of Mexican or Central American heritage) is that first-generation immigrants assimilate into the local society by incorporating Spanglish into their speech even if they learned more "correct" alternatives growing up in in their native country, where few (nobody?) would say something like "llamar para atrás".  Maybe Puerto Rican Spanish is a different dynamic because of the sociopolitical relationship with the Mainland U.S...

Question for the Mexicans among us, is that term actually used in Mexico?


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## Elcowboybebop

OtroLencho said:


> Something I observe here to the west of the Mississippi (where most Hispanics are of Mexican or Central American heritage) is that first-generation immigrants assimilate into the local society by incorporating Spanglish into their speech even if they learned more "correct" alternatives growing up in in their native country, where few (nobody?) would say something like "llamar para atrás".  Maybe Puerto Rican Spanish is a different dynamic because of the sociopolitical relationship with the Mainland U.S...
> 
> Question for the Mexicans among us, is that term actually used in Mexico?


Well put. I think it has everything to do with the influence of American culture in Puerto rico and the Dominican Republic. I live in texas currently, and I have witnessed the very phenomenon that you are referring to among second generation Mexican Americans. Words like "troca" (for "truck"), yarda (for "yard"), plugar (for "plug in"), lonche (for "lunch"), and the list goes on and on.


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## Cenzontle

Getting back Pirulo1234's original question—
to me, "call [someone] back" means only to return a call, not to call a second time.
Oh, I suppose I could call someone, discuss topic A, hang up, then remember that we should also discuss topic B.  
In that case, having forgotten who called whom, I would have to call the person "back".


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