to call back / recall
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to call back
To return a phone call after someone has called you or after you have missed a call.
Ich bin gerade in einer Besprechung, kann ich Sie in einer Stunde zurückrufen?
I'm in a meeting right now; can I call you back in an hour?
to call back
To call to someone and ask them to return to a place they have moved away from.
Die Mutter rief ihre Kinder vom Spielplatz zurück, weil es Zeit für das Abendessen war.
The mother called her children back from the playground because it was time for dinner.
to recall
To officially take a defective or dangerous product off the market and ask buyers to return it.
Der Autohersteller musste Tausende Fahrzeuge wegen eines Problems mit den Bremsen zurückrufen.
The car manufacturer had to recall thousands of vehicles because of a problem with the brakes.
to call to mind
To remember someone or something.
Ich versuchte, mir den Namen des Schauspielers ins Gedächtnis zurückzurufen, aber er fiel mir nicht ein.
I tried to call the actor's name to mind, but I couldn't think of it.
to recall
To remove a diplomat, ambassador, or another official person from their post and ask them to return.
Nach dem diplomatischen Eklat hat die Regierung ihren Botschafter zu Konsultationen zurückgerufen.
After the diplomatic scandal, the government recalled its ambassador for consultations.
'Zurückrufen' (to call back/recall) is a separable verb. In a main clause, the prefix 'zurück' comes at the end. In subordinate clauses and in the infinitive with 'zu', the verb stays together.
Er ruft mich später zurück.
He'll call me back later.
The prefix 'zurück-' always means a movement or action in the reverse direction or back to the starting point. This logic applies to all meanings: returning a call (back), getting someone to come (back), or taking a product out of circulation (back).
Der Trainer rief den Spieler zur Bank zurück.
The coach called the player back to the bench.
The meaning of 'zurückrufen' (to call back/recall) becomes clear immediately from the context. Pay attention to whether it is about a phone, a person, a product, or a memory.
Der Konzern muss das neue Modell zurückrufen.
The corporation has to recall the new model.
In everyday life, the most common meaning is returning a phone call. A very typical and polite phrase is: 'Ich rufe Sie/dich später/gleich zurück.' (I'll call you back later/right away.)
Können Sie mich bitte zurückrufen, wenn Sie Zeit haben?
Could you please call me back when you have time?
In this meaning, the subject is usually the manufacturer or the company. The accusative object is the defective product.
Der Lebensmittelhersteller rief eine Charge Joghurt zurück.
The food manufacturer recalled a batch of yogurt.
The meaning 'to remember' is used almost exclusively in the fixed expression 'sich (Dativ) etwas ins Gedächtnis zurückrufen' (to call something to mind). The person who remembers is in the dative.
Sie versuchte, sich die Details des Gesprächs ins Gedächtnis zurückzurufen.
She tried to call the details of the conversation to mind.
to call
Anrufen generally refers to making contact by telephone. Zurückrufen more specifically means returning an earlier or missed call. Without a previous call, anrufen is appropriate; when the other person has already called, zurückrufen is appropriate.
Ich rufe Nina heute Abend zurück, weil ich ihren Anruf verpasst habe.
I’m calling Nina back this evening because I missed her call.
Ich rufe Nina heute Abend an, um ihr die Neuigkeit zu erzählen.
I’m calling Nina this evening to tell her the news.
