The word for to call — as in to call someone over or to call a taxi — is לקרוא, a simple verb.
Whether you are visiting Tel Aviv and headed to the beach or just trying to get across town in a new city, knowing how to get a ride is essential. Note that we use the preposition ל (to) after the verb when calling for someone or something.
In context:
אני צריך לקרוא למונית כדי להגיע בזמן לפגישה.
I need to call a taxi to arrive at the meeting on time.
But wait, doesn’t לקרוא mean to read?
It does. Historically, reading and calling out were the same thing. In ancient times, literacy was rare, and reading was almost always done out loud — a person would “call out” the text for themselves or others to hear. Over time, the word for calling out became the word for reading.
The phrase לקרוא למונית — to call a taxi is a Level 3 phrase in the Ulpan La-Inyan system.
