Anrufen ("to call, to phone someone") is one of the verbs you will reach for daily. It is a separable strong verb: it is built from the prefix an- plus the strong verb rufen ("to call out, to shout"), and in a main clause that prefix detaches and travels to the very end of the sentence. It is also the standard verb for telephoning a person — and unlike its near-synonym telefonieren, it takes a direct object in the accusative, which is the single biggest source of errors for English speakers.
Principal parts
| Infinitive | Präteritum | Partizip II (auxiliary) |
|---|---|---|
| anrufen | rief an | angerufen (hat) |
Read this as: anrufen – rief an – hat angerufen. The strong ablaut (rufen → rief → gerufen) comes straight from the base verb rufen; anrufen simply carries it. Note how the participle inserts -ge- between the prefix and the stem: an- + ge + rufen → angerufen. The Perfekt auxiliary is haben, because anrufen is transitive (it has an accusative object).
Präsens (present)
In a main clause the conjugated stem stays in second position and the prefix an jumps to the end. This split frame is the Satzklammer (the "sentence bracket").
| Person | Form | In a sentence |
|---|---|---|
| ich | rufe an | Ich rufe dich an. |
| du | rufst an | Du rufst mich an. |
| er / sie / es | ruft an | Sie ruft ihn an. |
| wir | rufen an | Wir rufen euch an. |
| ihr | ruft an | Ihr ruft uns an. |
| sie / Sie | rufen an | Sie rufen mich an. |
There is no vowel change in the present (it is ruft, not rüft) — rufen is a strong verb that keeps its stem vowel in the present and only changes in the past. Watch the du-form: it is rufst, with no extra -e- despite the consonant cluster.
Ich rufe dich heute Abend an, sobald ich zu Hause bin.
I'll call you tonight as soon as I'm home. (informal; note the prefix 'an' at the very end)
Warum rufst du nie zurück?
Why do you never call back? (informal; zurückrufen is a separate separable verb)
Präteritum (simple past)
The strong past stem is rief; the prefix still detaches in a main clause. In conversation Germans usually prefer the Perfekt for anrufen, but the Präteritum is normal in narration and writing.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | rief an |
| du | riefst an |
| er / sie / es | rief an |
| wir | riefen an |
| ihr | rieft an |
| sie / Sie | riefen an |
Gestern rief mich meine Mutter dreimal an.
Yesterday my mother called me three times. (Präteritum, typical of written narration)
Perfekt (present perfect)
Built with the present of haben plus the participle angerufen. This is the everyday spoken past.
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe angerufen |
| du | hast angerufen |
| er / sie / es | hat angerufen |
| wir | haben angerufen |
| ihr | habt angerufen |
| sie / Sie | haben angerufen |
Because anrufen is separable, the participle is written as one word with -ge- tucked inside: angerufen. Compare this with an inseparable prefix verb, which takes no ge- at all (e.g. bekommen → bekommen). For the full pattern, see the participle of separable verbs.
Hast du schon den Arzt angerufen?
Have you called the doctor yet? (informal; den Arzt is accusative)
Ich habe gestern stundenlang versucht, dich anzurufen.
I spent hours yesterday trying to call you. (note 'anzurufen': zu sits inside the verb)
Futur I (future)
Formed with werden + the infinitive anrufen (which stays joined, at the clause end).
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde anrufen |
| du | wirst anrufen |
| er / sie / es | wird anrufen |
| wir | werden anrufen |
| ihr | werdet anrufen |
| sie / Sie | werden anrufen |
Ich werde dich morgen anrufen, versprochen.
I'll call you tomorrow, I promise. (the infinitive 'anrufen' is not split here)
Imperativ (commands)
The prefix detaches in commands too.
| Addressee | Form |
|---|---|
| du | Ruf(e) an! |
| ihr | Ruft an! |
| Sie | Rufen Sie an! |
Ruf mich an, wenn du angekommen bist!
Call me when you've arrived! (informal du-command)
Rufen Sie uns bitte unter dieser Nummer an.
Please call us at this number. (formal Sie-command)
Konjunktiv II (would / hypothetical)
The synthetic Konjunktiv II is built on the past stem rief plus the subjunctive ending -e → riefe (the diphthong ie has no umlaut to add, so only the ending changes). In everyday speech most people prefer the würde-form (würde anrufen), which sounds more natural.
| Person | Synthetic | würde-form |
|---|---|---|
| ich | riefe an | würde anrufen |
| du | riefest an | würdest anrufen |
| er / sie / es | riefe an | würde anrufen |
| wir | riefen an | würden anrufen |
| ihr | riefet an | würdet anrufen |
| sie / Sie | riefen an | würden anrufen |
An deiner Stelle würde ich ihn einfach kurz anrufen.
If I were you, I'd just give him a quick call. (würde-form is the natural choice here)
Government: accusative, not "mit"
This is the crucial fact for English speakers. Anrufen takes a direct object in the accusative — the person you phone is the object, exactly as in English "I'll call you." There is no preposition.
Kannst du bitte das Restaurant anrufen und reservieren?
Could you call the restaurant and make a reservation? (das Restaurant = accusative)
Contrast this sharply with telefonieren, which is intransitive and uses mit + dative:
Ich telefoniere gerade mit meiner Schwester.
I'm on the phone with my sister right now. (telefonieren mit + dative — never an accusative)
So Ich rufe meine Schwester an and Ich telefoniere mit meiner Schwester describe the same activity but with opposite grammar. See telefonieren for the contrast in full.
Common idioms and fixed expressions
| Expression | English |
|---|---|
| jemanden zurückrufen | to call someone back |
| Ruf doch mal an! | Give us a call sometime! (informal) |
| Da ruft jemand an. | Someone's calling. (the phone is ringing) |
| Wer hat angerufen? | Who called? |
Common Mistakes
❌ Ich rufe an dich heute Abend.
Incorrect word order — in a main clause the prefix 'an' must go to the very end, not stay next to the stem.
✅ Ich rufe dich heute Abend an.
I'll call you tonight.
❌ Ich rufe mit dir an.
Incorrect — anrufen takes an accusative person; 'mit + dative' belongs to telefonieren.
✅ Ich rufe dich an.
I'll call you.
❌ Ich habe dich gestern geanruft.
Incorrect — anrufen is strong and separable: the participle is angerufen, with -ge- inside and the strong stem -ruf-.
✅ Ich habe dich gestern angerufen.
I called you yesterday.
❌ Ich bin dich angerufen.
Incorrect auxiliary — anrufen is transitive and forms the Perfekt with haben, not sein.
✅ Ich habe dich angerufen.
I called you.
❌ Ich rufe meiner Mutter an.
Incorrect case — the person you call is the direct object (accusative), not dative.
✅ Ich rufe meine Mutter an.
I'll call my mother.
Key Takeaways
- Principal parts: anrufen – rief an – hat angerufen (Perfekt with haben).
- It is separable: in a main clause an detaches and goes to the end (Ich rufe dich an).
- The participle is one word with -ge- inside: angerufen.
- It takes a direct accusative object — the person you phone (ich rufe dich an).
- Do not confuse it with telefonieren mit + dative, which means the same thing but is built completely differently.
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Start learning German→Related Topics
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- Participles of Separable and Inseparable VerbsB1 — Where the -ge- goes when a verb has a prefix: inside separable verbs, and nowhere in inseparable ones — predicted perfectly by stress.
- The Accusative CaseA1 — The accusative marks the direct object — and because only masculine articles visibly change, masculine 'den/einen' is the system's single biggest stumbling block.
- telefonieren: Full Conjugation and UsageA2 — Complete conjugation of telefonieren 'to be on the phone / to make a call' across every tense and mood, the telefonieren-vs-anrufen distinction, and the errors English speakers make.
- rufen: Full Conjugation and UsageB1 — Complete conjugation of the strong verb rufen 'to call / to shout' across every tense and mood, with the rufen nach construction, register notes, and the difference from anrufen and nennen.
- Separable Verb ErrorsB1 — The four classic separable-verb mistakes — not splitting the prefix, wrong participle, misplaced zu, and wrong auxiliary — all trace back to one idea: the verb wraps around the clause.