We write a quick SMS, a message on a messaging app, and the question arises: should we write “call me,” “calls me,” or “call me”? This hesitation is a reflex that affects many French speakers because the verb appeler changes form depending on the mood and the person. The correct spelling relies on a precise conjugation rule in the present imperative, and a few related cases deserve our attention to eliminate any doubt.
Call me with or without “s”: the mechanics of the imperative
When giving an order or making a request in the second person singular, we use the present imperative. For first-group verbs (those ending in -er), the imperative drops the final “s” found in the indicative. We write “you call” in the indicative, but simply “call” in the imperative.
The pronoun “me” is placed after the verb and is connected by a hyphen. Therefore, the only correct form is “call me,” without “s” and with a hyphen. Neither “calls me,” “call me,” nor “call me” are accepted in standard French.
To know how to write call me correctly, we remember this simple test: if the verb is from the first group and we are addressing “you” in the imperative, we remove the “s”.
Verb appeler and noun appel: avoiding spelling confusion
Some errors stem from the similarity between the noun “appel” and the conjugated verb “appelle.” The masculine noun “an appel” is written with a single “l” and without a final “e.” The verb conjugated in the imperative or present indicative (I/he/she) takes two “l” and a silent “e”: “appelle.”
In the infinitive, we write “appeler” with a single “l.” The doubling of the “l” occurs only when the following syllable is silent. We pronounce “a-pèl” in both cases, which blurs the boundary in writing.
A concrete way to decide: if we can replace the word with “phone call” or “signal,” it’s the noun, a single “l.” If we can replace it with the conjugated verb “call” (“call me”), it’s the verb, two “l.”
Position of the pronoun according to the form: affirmative, negative, double pronoun
The spelling “call me” only works in the affirmative imperative. As soon as we switch to the negative form, the pronoun moves before the verb and the hyphen disappears. We write “do not call me,” and never “do not call me.”
This affirmative/negative contrast is the most common trap aside from the question of the “s.” Here are the cases to distinguish:
- Affirmative imperative: the pronoun follows the verb, connected by a hyphen. “Call me tomorrow morning.”
- Negative imperative: the pronoun precedes the verb, without a hyphen. “Do not call me before noon.”
- Double pronoun in the affirmative: the order also changes. “Give it to me” (and not “give me it”), but “do not give it to me” in the negative form.
This alternation shows that the position of the pronoun depends on the polarity of the sentence, not the verb itself.
The special case of “calls it”
The “s” that we drop in “call me” reappears before the pronouns “en” and “y.” We write “calls it another one” and “go there,” because the liaison requires this transitional “s.” This exception applies only before “en” and “y,” never before “me,” “it,” or “us.”
Specifically, if we want to say “call me one more,” the construction combines the pronoun “me” elided to “m'” and the pronoun “en.” The correct form is “call me,” with a single “l” that is often added reflexively. The difficulty varies depending on the pronoun that follows the verb, and this is the only true case where the first-group imperative regains an “s.”
Concrete tips to avoid the mistake on call me
Rather than an abstract rule, some practical reflexes allow us to check the spelling in real situations.
- Replace with a second-group verb: “Finish your work” does not take an “s” either in the imperative (you finish, but finish! without pronoun). If doubt persists, test with “eat”: “eat me this dish” works without “s,” just like “call me.”
- Check the hyphen: as soon as a pronoun follows a verb in the imperative, the hyphen is mandatory. “Call me,” “look at him,” “talk to her.”
- Distinguish noun and verb: “a missed call” (noun, one “l”) vs. “he calls me” (conjugated verb, two “l”). If in doubt, rephrase with a synonym to lift the ambiguity.
- Remember the exception “en/y”: the “s” returns only before these two pronouns. Elsewhere, no “s” in the imperative of the first group.
One last point deserves attention: automatic correctors integrated into phones sometimes correct “call me” to “calls me” by analogy with the indicative. Rereading after automatic correction remains the most reliable gesture to avoid this mistake.
The form “call me” no longer poses a problem once we have integrated the principle of the imperative without “s” for -er verbs. The real time-saver is to also memorize the behavior of the pronoun according to the affirmative or negative form, and the exception before “en” and “y.” Three reflexes, zero hesitation.
