Breakdown of Volvimos a llamarte, pero mandaste un mensaje en lugar de contestar.
un
a
tú
you
pero
but
nosotros
we
te
you
contestar
to answer
.
period
,
comma
el mensaje
the message
volver a
to do again
llamar
to call
mandar
to send
en lugar de
instead of
Questions & Answers about Volvimos a llamarte, pero mandaste un mensaje en lugar de contestar.
What does volver a + infinitive mean, and why is there an a?
It means “to do something again.” The preposition a is obligatory and links volver to the infinitive:
- Volvimos a llamarte = We called you again. You cannot drop the a: Volvimos llamarte is ungrammatical.
Can the pronoun te go somewhere else? Te volvimos a llamar vs Volvimos a llamarte?
Yes. Spanish clitic pronouns can be:
- Before a conjugated verb: Te volvimos a llamar.
- Attached to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command: Volvimos a llamarte. Both are equally natural. Not: Volvimos a te llamar.
Why doesn’t llamarte take an accent?
Because llamarte ends in a vowel and is stressed on the penultimate syllable (lla-MAR-te), which follows the normal stress rule, so no accent is needed. Accents appear when attachment breaks the rule, e.g. llamándote, dímelo, cómetelo.
Could I say Volvimos llamarte without the a?
No. The pattern is volver a + infinitive. Without a, it’s ungrammatical.
Why is it pero and not sino?
Use pero to contrast two statements in general. Use sino (que) only after a negation to correct the first part:
- With negation: No te llamamos, sino que te mandamos un mensaje.
- In your sentence there is no negation, so pero is correct.
Is the comma before pero necessary?
Recommended. In Spanish, a comma is normally placed before adversatives like pero when they join independent clauses: Volvimos a llamarte, pero…. If the second part is very short, some writers omit it, but the comma is standard.
Why is the preterite used (volvimos, mandaste)? Could I use the present perfect?
The preterite (volvimos, mandaste) presents completed past events. In Spain, the present perfect is also common for recent, “today-type” past:
- Hemos vuelto a llamarte, pero has mandado un mensaje… (more natural if it happened today). Both are correct; choice depends on timeframe and style.
Is mandar the best verb for sent? Can I use enviar?
Both work:
- mandar = very common and informal in Spain: mandaste un mensaje, me mandó un WhatsApp.
- enviar = a bit more formal/neutral: enviaste un mensaje. Meaning is the same here.
Should it be nos mandaste un mensaje? Do I need nos?
Optional. If context makes it clear the message was to us, mandaste un mensaje is fine. To make the recipient explicit, add the indirect object:
- Nos mandaste un mensaje.
- Long form (less common in speech): Mandaste un mensaje a nosotros.
Does contestar need an object? Should it be contestar al teléfono or contestarnos?
All are possible, with slight nuances:
- Generic/intransitive: en lugar de contestar (= instead of answering/picking up).
- To us: en lugar de contestarnos or en lugar de contestarnos la llamada.
- Explicit phone: en lugar de contestar al teléfono or, in Spain, en lugar de coger el teléfono.
Can I use responder instead of contestar?
You can, but preferences differ:
- For calls, Spaniards commonly say contestar (al teléfono) or coger el teléfono. Responder is less idiomatic for picking up a call.
- For messages, questions, emails: both responder and contestar are fine.
Is coger el teléfono okay in Spain?
Yes, very idiomatic in Spain: coger el teléfono = answer/pick up the phone. Note: in much of Latin America, coger can be vulgar, so they avoid it; they use contestar/atender el teléfono instead.
Why is contestar an infinitive and not contestaste?
Because en lugar de takes an infinitive when it means “instead of doing X”:
- …mandaste un mensaje en lugar de contestar. If you use a finite clause, you’d say: …en lugar de que contestaras (subjunctive), which is a different structure.
Is en lugar de the same as en vez de?
Yes, they’re near-synonyms. En lugar de is a touch more formal; en vez de is very common in speech. Either works here.
Can I say both volver a and otra vez/de nuevo together, or is that redundant?
It’s often considered redundant, though you’ll hear it in speech. Prefer one:
- Volvimos a llamarte.
- Te llamamos otra vez / de nuevo.
Why llamarte and not llamar a ti?
People are direct objects with the personal a, but when you use a clitic pronoun, you don’t keep a ti:
- With a name: Volvimos a llamar a María.
- With a pronoun: Volvimos a llamarte. (not a ti) Using both is only for contrast/emphasis: a ti (and not someone else).
How would this change with usted or with him/her/them? Any Spain-specific notes?
- Usted: Hemos/Volvimos a llamarle, … pero nos mandó un mensaje…. In Spain, le for masculine direct human objects is common (leísmo), so llamarle is widely accepted.
- Él/Ella: Lo/La volvimos a llamar, … pero nos mandó un mensaje….
- Ellos/Ellas: Los/Las volvimos a llamar, … pero nos mandaron un mensaje….
Can I move en lugar de to the front?
Yes: En lugar de contestar, mandaste un mensaje. Both orders are fine. Keep the comma after the introductory phrase.
Could I refer to the phone or the call with a pronoun: contestarlo/contestarla?
Yes, if you make the object explicit:
- Phone: contestar el teléfono / contestarlo (less common than coger el teléfono in Spain).
- Call: contestar la llamada / contestarla is clear and natural.
Is Volvimos a llamarte the only natural wording? What about Te llamamos de nuevo/otra vez?
All are natural:
- Volvimos a llamarte.
- Te volvimos a llamar.
- Te llamamos de nuevo / otra vez. Choose what flows best; meaning is the same.
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