to retrieve / call up
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to retrieve
To get stored data or information from a system, such as a computer, database, or memory, and make it available.
Mit der App kann ich jederzeit meinen aktuellen Kontostand abrufen.
With the app, I can retrieve my current account balance at any time.
to call up
To successfully use and show existing abilities, knowledge, or performance in a particular situation.
Die Athletin konnte im Wettkampf ihre volle Leistung abrufen.
The athlete was able to call up her full performance in the competition.
to call off
To request goods or services that have been ordered but not yet delivered from the supplier.
Die Bauteile werden je nach Baufortschritt direkt vom Lager abgerufen.
The components are called off directly from the warehouse depending on the progress of construction.
to recall
To officially order a person back from a post or from a region.
Nach dem diplomatischen Eklat wurde der Botschafter aus dem Land abgerufen.
After the diplomatic scandal, the ambassador was recalled from the country.
'Abrufen' (to retrieve/call up) is a separable verb made up of 'ab' and 'rufen' (to call). The prefix 'ab-' separates in a main clause and goes to the end. The basic idea is to 'call' something from a distance or from storage.
Ich rufe meine E-Mails mehrmals täglich ab.
I check my emails several times a day.
The exact meaning of 'abrufen' (to retrieve/call up) depends heavily on the object. If it is information, such as 'Daten' (data), it is about getting something from storage. With abilities, such as 'Leistung' (performance), it is about using them. With goods, it is about a delivery.
Der Sportler konnte sein volles Potenzial nicht abrufen.
The athlete could not call up his full potential.
The most common use of 'abrufen' (to retrieve) is found in digital contexts. You can retrieve 'Daten' (data), 'E-Mails' (emails), 'Dateien' (files), or 'Informationen' (information) from a computer, server, or the internet.
Über das Online-Banking können Sie alle Kontobewegungen der letzten Jahre abrufen.
Through online banking, you can retrieve all account transactions from the last few years.
In the meaning 'Fähigkeiten einsetzen' (to use abilities), 'abrufen' (to call up) is often used in the context of performance and competition. People talk about calling up their 'volles Potenzial' (full potential), their 'beste Leistung' (best performance), or their 'gesamtes Wissen' (all their knowledge).
In der Prüfung war sie so nervös, dass sie ihr gelerntes Wissen nicht abrufen konnte.
In the exam, she was so nervous that she could not call up the knowledge she had learned.
The meanings that refer to requesting goods or recalling people are more specialized. You find them especially in logistics, trade, or politics.
Der Automobilhersteller ruft die benötigten Teile just-in-time vom Zulieferer ab.
The car manufacturer calls off the required parts from the supplier just in time.
to call / open
When used with digital content, aufrufen means opening or displaying a website, file, or program. Abrufen, by contrast, emphasizes retrieving stored data from a system and making it available. Use aufrufen for the resource being displayed and abrufen for the data-retrieval process.
Das Programm ruft die Kundendaten vom Server ab, um sie verfügbar zu machen.
The program retrieves the customer data from the server in order to make it available.
Die Mitarbeiterin ruft die Kundendatei auf, um sie am Bildschirm zu lesen.
The employee opens the customer file in order to read it on the screen.
