How to Say ‘I call’ in German
Ich rufe an.
ikh ROO-feh ahn
[ikh ROO-feh ahn]
💬 Usage Tip: Natural English is usually "I'll call" or "I'm calling." In German, present tense often covers the near future.
🇩🇪 In Germany: German uses the present tense a lot for planned actions, especially with a time word like "heute."
Phrase Breakdown
Ich
[ikh]
I
First-person singular pronoun.
Ich rufe an, damit jemand das Problem repariert.
I am calling so that someone repairs the problem.
Rufe an
ROO-feh ahn
call / am calling
Separable verb anrufen in the present tense; here it means to phone someone.
Ich rufe meine Freundin an.
I am calling my friend.
Words in this phrase
rufe
[ROO-feh]
call
From anrufen; with an, it means make a phone call.
Ich rufe an, um einen Termin zu machen.
I am calling to make an appointment.
an
[ahn]
up / on
Separable prefix completing anrufen, to call.
Ich rufe an, sobald ich zu Hause bin.
I’ll call as soon as I am home.
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