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Spanish Phrase

Decide quién llama a quién.

/deˈθi.ðe ˈkjẽn ˈʝa.ma a ˈkjẽn/
Meaning"Decide who calls whom."
💡

Meaning

‘Decide who calls whom.’ The sentence tells someone to choose which person should be the caller and which should be the receiver, whether it’s a literal phone call or a figurative exchange of initiative.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you need to settle who should start a conversation, a phone call, a meeting, or any situation where one party must take the first step. It works both in everyday casual talk and in more formal planning contexts.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Decidequiénllamaaquién

1

Imperative of decidir

‘Decide’ is the informal second‑person singular imperative of the verb *decidir*, used to give a direct command.

2

Interrogative pronoun *quién*

*Quién* (with an accent) means ‘who’ and is used in both direct and indirect questions.

3

Present indicative *llama*

*Llama* is the third‑person singular present indicative of *llamar*; it agrees with the implied subject ‘él/ella/usted’.

4

Personal *a*

When the direct object refers to a person, Spanish requires the preposition *a* before it – here before the second *quién*.

🗨In Conversation

A

¿Quién debería iniciar la conversación con el cliente?

Who should start the conversation with the client?

Decide quién llama a quién.

Decide who calls whom.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Decide quien llama a quien.

    Missing accent; *quién* is the interrogative pronoun, *quien* is a relative pronoun.

  • Decide quién llamas a quién.

    The verb must stay in third‑person singular (*llama*) because the subject is implicit (él/ella/usted).

  • Decide quién llama quién.

    The preposition *a* cannot be omitted before the second *quién*; it marks a personal direct object.

↔Alternatives

  • Determina quién llama a quién.

    Determine who calls whom.

  • Elige quién llama a quién.

    Choose who calls whom.

  • Decide quién debe llamar al otro.

    Decide who should call the other.

es

Cultural Tip

In Spanish‑speaking cultures the verb *llamar* is the standard way to talk about phone calls, and the preposition *a* is mandatory before a personal direct object. Skipping the *a* (e.g., *llama quien*) sounds ungrammatical and can be confusing. Also, note that *llamar* can mean ‘to name’; context tells you whether it’s a phone call or a naming action.