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100% GOOD (2 votes)SinagotLanguage Question
Hello ، Do”call somebody on the phone” and ”call somebody by the phone” have the same meaning?


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AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgDecember 2021
”call sb on the phone” is very American English to describe using a telephone to get in touch with sb. In British English, people would more likely use ”to phone sb” if they want to make it clear that they are using a telephone to communicate with.

”call sb by the phone” - rarely used and very old-fashioned. It would more likely mean ”ask sb to come to near where the phone is located”. Even that is quite archaic.

You could use the preposition ”by” - ”to speak with sb by phone”
shoir profile picture shoirJanuary 2022
Yes but its better to use do call sb....
  • AussieInBg profile picture AussieInBgJanuary 2022
    If you mean ”to call sb”, then if you are speaking American English then use that. If what you are speaking is British English, then use ”to phone sb”.

    It of course depends on the dialect of English you are speaking...
tractenc profile picture tractencNovember 2023

You should use "call sb on the phone" or "to phone sb".
"call sb by the phone" is not actually wrong, but in communication no one uses that phrase. 

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sergeantseagull profile picture sergeantseagullNovember 2023
I understand both. ”Call somebody on the phone” is better.
JessEchoes profile picture JessEchoesNovember 2023
I mostly hear people saying ”I have to phone somebody” or simply ”I have to give someone a call”, ”call somebody on the phone” is not something I have heard very often, And I have never heard anyone use ”call somebody by the phone.”. At least, in Canadian english.