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How to Say ‘Can he call you back?’ in German

Kann er Sie zurückrufen?

kahn air zee tsoo-RUEK-roo-fen

[kahn air zee tsoo-RUEK-roo-fen]

💬 Usage Tip: With kann "can" in the sentence, zurückrufen stays in one piece and moves to the very end. Same with muss: Er muss Sie zurückrufen "He has to call you back".

Phrase Breakdown

Kann er Sie

kahn air zee

can he ... you

A modal verb question. 'Sie' (formal you) sounds like 'zee'.

Example

Kann er Sie anrufen?

Can he call you?

Words in this phrase

Kann

[kahn]

can

A modal verb expressing ability or possibility.

Example

Beim Gespräch Kann man viel über die Firma lernen.

In the conversation, one can learn a lot about the company.

[air]

Third-person masculine pronoun referring to a man.

Example

Er ist gerade in einer Besprechung.

He is in a meeting right now.

Sie

[zee]

you

The formal 'you' used in polite professional conversations.

Example

Ich freue mich, Sie hier auf der Jobmesse zu sehen.

I am pleased to see you here at the job fair.

zurückrufen?

tsoo-RUEK-roo-fen

call back?

A separable verb that stays whole at the end after 'kann'. Stress 'RÜCK': tsu-RÜCK-ru-fen.

Example

Ich kann später zurückrufen.

I can call back later.

Words in this phrase

zurückrufen

[tsoo-RUEK-roo-fen]

call back

Infinitive of the separable verb, used here after a modal verb.

Example

Können Sie mich später zurückrufen?

Can you call me back later?

Guides for German learners

Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Tapping on a Screen or Talking Out Loud?Duolingo vs Pimsleur: five minutes of tapping versus thirty minutes of speaking. What each is good at, what each costs, and which to pick for your goal.

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