Voy a llamar a la consulta para confirmar la cita.

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Breakdown of Voy a llamar a la consulta para confirmar la cita.

• para: to
• a: to
• la cita: the appointment

Questions & Answers about Voy a llamar a la consulta para confirmar la cita.

Why is it "llamar a la consulta" and not "llamar la consulta"?

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.