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Is there a common phrase or a word to convey the same meaning?

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This question will have many equally acceptable answers rather than one best answer, and should possibly be made Community Wiki or closed Not Constructive. – MετάEd Sep 25 '12 at 15:59
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I'm calling to check in (with you/your progress). – cornbread ninja 麵包忍者 Sep 25 '12 at 16:00
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Hey, How are you? I just wanted to say hi; I am calling to get in touch; I am calling to reconnect with you; I want to know how things are going at your end... And last but not least, I would simply say: Hello, this is Noah. I need to talk to you about...(get straight to the point; avoid unnecessary details). – Noah Sep 25 '12 at 16:46
As Stevie Wonder says "I just called to say I love you . . ." – bib Sep 25 '12 at 20:15

closed as general reference by FumbleFingers, tchrist, cornbread ninja 麵包忍者, bib, Noah Sep 26 '12 at 1:36

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

There are hundreds of ways to say "I don't have a specific topic to get to, I just wanted to talk to you." Touch base, catch up, check in, say hi, see how you're doing, follow up, ... there's no shortage of idioms.

Or you could lead with what you're not calling about: "I don't have any news, but ..." or "I'm not calling to ask you for work, but ..." though typically people who want to touch base, check in, followup etc actually are calling to see "do you have any work/business for me that is not urgent enough for you to call me, but that you might mention when we happen to chat?". They don't want to say that out loud, so they say something reasonably meaningless.

Of course, you might have a specific purpose: "I was calling to see if my X is ready" or "I am calling to see if you have made a decision about Y yet". If the call is more personal you might say "I just wanted to hear your voice" or "I was wondering how you're doing these days".

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up vote 0 down vote

You could say “I’m calling to catch up”.

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This answer can be improved by citing a reputable reference which upholds your claim that this is a common phrase. As it stands, your answer could be taken as a pure statement of opinion and is liable to be downvoted or deleted. – MετάEd Sep 26 '12 at 4:09

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