llamarla

Llamarla is a Spanish infinitive form that combines the verb llamar (“to call, to name”) with the third‑person singular feminine direct‑object pronoun la (“her, it”). The construction is used when the object of the verb is a feminine noun or a female person, and the pronoun is attached to the end of the infinitive, gerund, or affirmative imperative, a feature characteristic of clitic pronoun placement in Spanish. In its simplest use, llamarla means “to call her” or “to name it,” as in the sentence “No sé cómo llamarla” (“I don’t know how to call her”). The same pattern applies to other verbs, such as buscarla (“to look for her”) or verla (“to see her”).

From a grammatical perspective, llamarla illustrates the proclitic and enclitic behavior of object pronouns. When the infinitive is preceded by a conjugated verb, the pronoun may appear either attached to the infinitive (enclitic) or placed before the conjugated verb (proclitic), as in “Quiero llamarla” or “Yo la quiero llamar.” The choice often depends on emphasis, rhythm, and regional preference.

In literary and colloquial contexts, llamarla appears in titles of songs, poems, and films that play on the double meaning of “calling” as both naming and contacting. Notably, the phrase is featured in a 1990s Spanish pop song where the narrator pleads to “llamarla” before a relationship ends, using the verb metaphorically to signify reaching out emotionally.

Etymologically, llamar derives from the Latin clamare, meaning “to shout, proclaim.” The suffix ‑la originates from the Old Spanish feminine pronoun la, itself from Latin illam. Modern usage of llamarla remains common in everyday speech, formal writing, and media, reflecting the flexibility of Spanish clitic attachment and the language’s capacity to encode grammatical relationships within single lexical units.