Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Voy a llamar a la consulta para confirmar la cita. - I am going to call the doctor’s office to confirm the appointment.

With the meaning “to telephone,” Spanish uses llamar a + [person/place]. Without the preposition, llamar tends to mean “to call/name”: e.g., Llamaron la consulta “Salud Center.” In Spain, include the a when you mean phoning someone or somewhere: llamar a María, llamar a la consulta.

What exactly does "la consulta" mean in Spain?

In Spain, la consulta usually means the doctor’s office/practice (the place). It can also informally mean a doctor’s appointment (e.g., Tengo consulta a las 5). In many Latin American countries the place is more often el consultorio. In this sentence, it refers to the office.

Could I say "llamar al consultorio" instead?

It’s understood, but in Spain people more naturally say la consulta. If you do use el consultorio, remember the contraction: Voy a llamar al consultorio (a + el = al).

Why is it "para confirmar" and not "por confirmar"?

para + infinitive expresses purpose: your reason for calling is to confirm.
por confirmar means “pending confirmation” (e.g., La cita está por confirmar).
You can also say Llamo por la cita to mean “I’m calling about the appointment” (topic), but that doesn’t by itself express the purpose of confirming.

Could I use "Llamaré" or "Llamo" instead of "Voy a llamar"?

Yes:

Voy a llamar: near future/plan (very common and natural).
Llamaré: simple future; fine for a plan but a bit more formal/distant; also used for guesses.
Llamo: present; used for immediate or scheduled actions (e.g., Luego llamo a la consulta).

Do I need to add "por teléfono"?

Not usually. Llamar already implies a phone call in this context. Add it only for clarity: Voy a llamar por teléfono a la consulta. Note: llamar a la puerta means “to knock.”

How do I replace "la consulta" with a pronoun?

Use the direct object pronoun la:

La voy a llamar. / Voy a llamarla.
Avoid le here; in Spain, leísmo (using le) is accepted mainly for masculine people, not for things.

How do I refer to "la cita" with a pronoun here?

Use la: Voy a llamar a la consulta para confirmarla. If you also replace la consulta, you get Voy a llamarla para confirmarla, which is ambiguous (both are “la”). To avoid that, keep one noun or rephrase: Voy a llamar a la consulta para que me confirmen la cita.

Why is it "a la" and not "al"?

Because consulta is feminine (la consulta). Only a + el contracts to al. Compare: Voy a llamar al hospital, but Voy a llamar a la clínica.

Is "llamar a consulta" (without the article) correct?

Yes, but it means something else: “to summon someone for a consultation” (e.g., a manager calls an employee in). For phoning the office, keep the article: llamar a la consulta.

Can "cita" mean a romantic date? Does that cause confusion?

Yes, cita can mean an appointment or a (romantic) date. Context clarifies it. If needed, specify cita médica. In Spain you’ll also hear tengo consulta to mean a doctor’s appointment.

Any pronunciation tips for Spain?

llamar: most speakers pronounce “ll” like English “y”: ya-MAR [ʝaˈmaɾ]; tap the final r.
consulta: con-SUL-ta [konˈsul.ta].
cita: in most of Spain, “c” before “i” is a “th” sound: THEE-ta [ˈθita]; in Latin America it’s SEE-ta [ˈsita].

Is "confirmar la cita" the normal phrasing? What about "comprobar" or "verificar"?

Confirmar la cita is the standard collocation. You can also say comprobar que la cita sigue en pie (“check that it’s still on”). Verificar is understood but sounds more technical/bureaucratic.

Can I move the parts around?

Yes:

Para confirmar la cita, voy a llamar a la consulta.
Voy a llamar a la consulta para confirmar la cita.
Keep a la consulta close to llamar for clarity. Voy a llamar para confirmar la cita a la consulta is grammatical but clunky.

The sentence has two "a"s in a row. Is that OK?

Yes. The first a belongs to ir a + infinitive (voy a llamar). The second a is required by llamar a + [person/place]. Both are needed.

How would I say this more informally?

In Spain: Voy a darles un toque para confirmar la cita (“give them a ring”). More neutral: Voy a llamar para confirmar la cita. Very colloquial: pegar un telefonazo.

Can I drop the article in "confirmar la cita"?

Not if it’s a specific appointment. Spanish normally keeps the article: confirmar la cita. You can say confirmar una cita (unspecified) or, in notes/headlines, telegraphically confirmar cita, but everyday speech prefers the article.