llamarse

Llamarse is the very first verb most learners encounter, and it teaches one of Spanish's foundational lessons: there is no dedicated verb for to be named. Instead, Spaniards take the verb llamar (to call) and turn it back on the subject with a reflexive pronoun, producing me llamo — literally I call myself. Once you accept that quirky logic, the verb is mechanically simple: a perfectly regular -ar conjugation glued to whichever reflexive pronoun matches the subject.

The most repeated exchange in any beginner Spanish course is ¿Cómo te llamas? — Me llamo..., and the vosotros equivalent ¿Cómo os llamáis? is what you hear when a Spaniard greets a group. Below is the full paradigm, with extra attention to where the reflexive pronoun sits — which is the only part learners actually get wrong.

Non-finite forms

The reflexive -se in the dictionary form (llamarse) is a placeholder that gets replaced by me, te, se, nos, os, se depending on the subject. Note the accent on llamándose: when a pronoun attaches to the gerundio, the original stress must be marked with a written accent.

Indicative — simple tenses

Presente

Perfectly regular -ar endings. The reflexive pronoun always precedes the conjugated verb in the indicative. Os llamáis is the only form with a written accent, on the á of the standard -áis ending.

Pretérito perfecto simple

The preterite of llamarse is rare in the be called meaning — names don't usually change in completed past time. It shows up more for historical figures or pets and people whose names have since changed: se llamó Mariano hasta los veinte años (he was called Mariano until he turned twenty).

Pretérito imperfecto

Far more common than the preterite for past names — the imperfect describes a name as a continuous state in the past.

Futuro simple

Used mostly for naming future babies, pets, or projects.

Condicional

Indicative — compound tenses

Pretérito perfecto compuesto

The reflexive pronoun sits before the auxiliary haber, never between haber and the participle. Me he llamado — not he me llamado.

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto

Futuro compuesto

Condicional compuesto

Subjunctive — simple tenses

Presente de subjuntivo

Standard -ar subjunctive endings. Os llaméis takes the accent.

Imperfecto de subjuntivo (-ra / -se)

Both -ra and -se forms are valid; -ra dominates in Spain.

Subjunctive — compound tenses

Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo

Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo

Imperative

Imperatives of llamarse in the to be called meaning are vanishingly rare — you don't usually order someone what their name is. They do appear in the pragmatic "go by" sense: llámate como quieras (call yourself whatever you want). For the non-reflexive llamar (to call someone on the phone, to summon), imperatives are routine — see the dedicated llamar page.

Two points worth noting. First, the affirmative vosotros form drops the final -d of the regular imperative when os attaches: llamad + os → llamaos (not llamados). This is true of every reflexive verb in Spain. Second, llamémonos drops the final -s of llamemos before nos — same pattern.

How llamarse differs from English to be called

English uses two parallel constructions for names: My name is Erik (with a possessive on name) or I am called Erik (with a passive). Spanish has neither. The Spanish solution is to take the active verb llamar (to call) and reflexivize it, producing me llamo — literally I call myself. This is not metaphor; it is the only routine way Spaniards introduce themselves.

The closest Spanish equivalent of My name is... is Mi nombre es..., which exists but sounds formal, official, or like you're filling out a form. Me llamo... is what you actually say in conversation. The closest equivalent of the passive I am called would be soy llamado, which exists grammatically but is never used for names — it sounds biblical.

Note that in casual introductions Spaniards often drop llamarse entirely and use ser: soy Marta is just as common as me llamo Marta. Both are correct and natural; the me llamo form sounds slightly more complete, and soy sounds slightly more relaxed.

Llamarse vs. llamar — the reflexive distinction

The same verb without the reflexive pronoun, llamar, means to call (someone on the phone, or to summon them). The reflexive pronoun is the only thing that flips the meaning from to call (someone) to to be called (oneself).

• Llamo a mi madre todos los días. — I call my mother every day. (phone)
• Me llamo Inés. — My name is Inés.
• La llamamos Ines, sin tilde. — We call her Ines, without an accent.
• Nos llamamos por teléfono cada semana. — We call each other on the phone every week. (here nos is reciprocal, not strictly reflexive — we call each other)

The third bullet shows that llamar a alguien X (without reflexive) is how you say to call someone X — to give them a name or nickname. The fourth shows the reciprocal use of llamarse: when subject and object are plural and the action is mutual.

High-frequency expressions with llamarse

¿Cómo se llama esto? is the indispensable pointing-at-something-asking-for-the-word question — and you should drill it. Como se llame, used dismissively in conversation about a forgotten name (ese actor, como se llame, el de la película de Almodóvar), is the Spanish equivalent of English what's-his-name.

The classic English-speaker error

English speakers consistently forget the reflexive pronoun and produce llamo Erik instead of me llamo Erik. This is the single most common A1 mistake and it makes the sentence ungrammatical: llamo Erik reads as I call Erik (on the phone), with a missing direct object marker — but it doesn't mean my name is Erik in any reading. The reflexive pronoun is structural; without it the sentence loses its meaning entirely.

A secondary error: translating My name is... word-for-word as mi nombre es.... This is grammatical, but it sounds like you're testifying in court. In a normal first introduction, Spaniards say me llamo or soy.

A third trap with the vosotros form: many learners default to ¿cómo se llaman? (which is ustedes — Latin American or formal Spanish) when speaking to a group of friends in Spain. In peninsular Spanish to a group of friends or peers, the right question is ¿cómo os llamáis? — and you should expect to hear it back.

Common Mistakes

Key Takeaways

• Llamarse is a perfectly regular -ar verb; the only morphological complexity is placing the reflexive pronoun correctly.
• The reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nos, os, se) is mandatory — without it the sentence is ungrammatical.
• In compound tenses, the pronoun goes before haber: me he llamado, never he me llamado.
• Vosotros form os llamáis is the standard peninsular question form: ¿cómo os llamáis?
• Me llamo X and soy X are both natural for first introductions; mi nombre es X sounds formal.
• ¿Cómo se llama esto? is the essential question for asking what something is called.
• The affirmative vosotros imperative llamaos drops the final -d of llamad before os — a rule that applies to every reflexive verb in Spain.