zurückzurufen

zurückzurufen is a German separable verb formed from the prefix zurück- (“back, again”) and the infinitive rufen (“to call”). In contemporary usage it primarily means “to call back” in the sense of returning a phone call, and less commonly “to recall” an object or a statement. The verb belongs to the class of trennbare Verben, so in finite clauses the prefix separates and appears at the end of the sentence (e.g., ich rufe dich zurück). In infinitive constructions with zu, the prefix stays attached to the verb, giving the form zurückzurufen (e.g., Ich habe vergessen, dich zurückzurufen).

Grammatically, zurückzurufen follows the regular conjugation pattern of rufen. The past participle is zurückgerufen and is used with the auxiliary haben (ich habe zurückgerufen). The verb can take a direct object (the person being called) and often appears with dative pronouns (ich rufe dir zurück). In informal spoken German, the shorter form zurückrufen is also common, especially in telephone contexts (Kannst du mich bitte zurückrufen?).

Zurückzurufen is recorded in standard dictionaries such as Duden and appears in both formal and colloquial registers. It is related to other separable verbs with zurück- (zurückschicken, zurückgeben) and to the non‑separable counterpart zurückrufen, which in some dialects functions without separation. The verb is occasionally used metaphorically to denote the retraction or revision of a previously made statement (e.g., Er musste seine Behauptung zurückzurufen).