call up

Q: Is it correct to say "I called up to him yesterday."?

No — say "I called him up yesterday.". The preposition 'to' is not used when 'call up' means to telephone someone; 'call up to' usually means shouting to someone on a higher floor.

Infinitive

call up

Past

called up

Past participle

called up

Definition

phrasal verb. to telephone someone. You use this when you want to talk to a person using your phone.

phrasal verb. To contact a person by telephone. The verb is transitive and optionally separable, though the object must be placed between the verb and particle if it is a pronoun.

simple

“I will call up my brother later tonight.”

contextual

“If you have any questions about the contract, just call up the office and ask for Sarah.”

complex

“The executive decided to call up the lead investigator to ensure that the sensitive data had been handled according to the new security protocols.”

If you use a pronoun like 'him' or 'her', it must go between 'call' and 'up'.

Mention that 'call up' is more common in American English, while British speakers often prefer 'ring up' or simply 'phone'.

I called up to him yesterday.

I called him up yesterday.

The preposition 'to' is not used when 'call up' means to telephone someone; 'call up to' usually means shouting to someone on a higher floor.

Particles

up

Separability

optional

Pattern

call + (object) + up

phone ring telephonegive a buzz