pick up — collect
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcore
To go somewhere and bring someone or something with you, usually by car or another vehicle.
Say it like a native
Textbook I will collect my sister from the station.
Native I'll pick my sister up from the station.
For going to fetch a person, natives default to 'pick up'. 'Collect' is correct but sounds formal or admin-like (collecting a parcel, a prize).
Pattern: pick (someone/something) up
In use
- Can you pick me up from the airport at 7 p.m.?daily life
- If I finish my exam early, my dad will pick me up so I don't have to take the bus home.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I'll pick up her at six.
✓ I'll pick her up at six.
With a pronoun, the object MUST go in the middle: 'pick her up', never 'pick up her'.
Common collocations
pick up + person/item— the kids, my sister, a parcel, some milk
Don't confuse it
Not the same as 'pick up' meaning 'lift from the ground.'
Related
- pick up (learn casually) — Another meaning of 'pick up' is 'learn casually'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.