French Phrase
Je te rappelle plus tard.
Meaning
Literally ‘I call you back later’, this phrase is used to tell someone you will phone or get back to them at a later time. It conveys a polite promise to continue the conversation after a short break.
When to use
Use it in informal spoken French—on the phone, in a chat, or face‑to‑face—when you need to end a call or pause a discussion but intend to resume it later.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jeterappelleplustard.
Subject pronoun (Je)
The first person singular subject pronoun, used before the verb.
Direct object pronoun (te)
‘te’ replaces the person you are calling; it is placed before the verb in the present tense.
Present tense of rappeler
‘rappelle’ is the 1st‑person singular present of the verb rappeler (to call back).
Adverbial phrase (plus tard)
‘plus tard’ means ‘later’ and functions as a time adverb placed after the verb.
🗨In Conversation
Je te rappelle plus tard.
I'll call you back later.
D'accord, à plus tard !
Okay, see you later!
✕Common Mistakes
Je te rappelle plus tard.
‘plus’ alone can mean ‘no more’; make sure it stays attached to ‘tard’ to keep the meaning ‘later’.
Je rappelle te plus tard.
Do not invert the pronoun and verb; the correct order is pronoun before the verb in the present tense.
Je vous rappelle plus tard.
This is correct in formal contexts but sounds too stiff in casual conversation with friends; use ‘te’ instead of ‘vous’ when speaking informally.
↔Alternatives
Je t'appelle plus tard.
I'll call you later.
Je te recontacte plus tard.
I'll get back in touch later.
Je te rappellerai plus tard.
I will call you back later.
Cultural Tip
In French, the verb rappeler is often used with a direct object pronoun (te, vous) to mean ‘to call back’. In formal situations you would say ‘Je vous rappelle plus tard.’ Avoid confusing ‘plus tard’ with the negative ‘plus’ (meaning ‘no more’). The phrase is perfectly natural in everyday conversation, but if you need to sound very polite you can add ‘s’il vous plaît’ or use the conditional: ‘Je vous rappellerai plus tard, si vous le permettez.’