打电话

打电话 (dǎ diànhuà) is the standard Mandarin verb phrase meaning 'to make a phone call.' Literally 'hit/strike a phone-talk,' it pairs the all-purpose verb 打 (dǎ) — which in Chinese can mean 'to do, perform, make' for many small actions — with 电话 (diànhuà), 'phone / phone call.' Two things surprise English speakers: first, you don't 'call someone' directly in Chinese — you 给 (gěi) + person + 打电话, literally 'to-someone make-call,' as in 给我打电话 ('call me'); second, 打电话 covers the act of calling in general; to specify the recipient or topic, you add 给, 跟, or 和. To answer the phone, use 接电话 (jiē diànhuà). To hang up, use 挂电话 (guà diànhuà).

Note: Works in any context — casual, professional, or written. To say who you're calling, add 给 + person: 给妈妈打电话 (call mom).

Memory hook: Think of 打 as the universal 'do' verb — you 打 a call, 打 a taxi (打车), 打 a basketball game (打篮球). 打电话 = 'do an electric-talk.'