anrufen
to call
To establish contact with someone by telephone and speak to them.
EXAMPLE
Ich muss später noch meine Mutter anrufen.
I still have to call my mother later.
anrufen
to call
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Meanings
anrufen
to appeal to
To ask a higher authority, especially a court, for a decision or help.
EXAMPLE
Die Anwältin riet ihm, in dieser Sache das Verfassungsgericht anzurufen.
The lawyer advised him to appeal to the Constitutional Court in this matter.
Usage tips
Separable verb
'Anrufen' is a separable verb. The prefix 'an-' comes at the end in main clauses, remains attached to the verb in subordinate clauses, and in the infinitive, 'zu' stands between 'an' and 'rufen'.
EXAMPLE
Ich rufe dich heute Abend an.
I’ll call you this evening.
Accusative object
A common mistake is using the dative. But the accusative is always correct: you call 'jemanden' (someone, accusative), not 'jemandem' (someone, dative).
EXAMPLE
Wen hast du gestern angerufen?
Whom did you call yesterday?
Use with 'bei'
When you are not calling a person directly, but rather an institution or company, the preposition 'bei' (+ dative) is often used.
EXAMPLE
Hast du schon bei der Fluggesellschaft angerufen?
Have you already called the airline?
Register and context
This meaning is very formal and is used almost exclusively in legal language. In everyday life, 'anrufen' always means 'to contact by telephone'.
EXAMPLE
Nach dem Urteil entschied sie, eine höhere Instanz anzurufen.
After the verdict, she decided to appeal to a higher authority.
Compare with
anrufen vs erreichen
to reach
Erreichen and anrufen can both describe successfully making contact by phone. Erreichen emphasizes that the person you wanted to contact was actually available; anrufen refers more specifically to making the phone connection and then having the conversation. A merely unsuccessful call therefore does not mean that you have reached someone.
anrufen
Ich rufe die Ärztin an und bespreche mit ihr den Termin.
I call the doctor and discuss the appointment with her.
erreichen
Nach mehreren Versuchen erreiche ich die Ärztin endlich telefonisch.
After several attempts, I finally reach the doctor by phone.
In real life
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