Meaning trap
pick up
collect
To go somewhere and bring someone or something with you, usually by car or another vehicle.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To go somewhere and bring someone or something with you, usually by car or another vehicle.
Another meaning of 'pick up' is 'learn casually'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
Can you pick me up from the airport at 7 p.m.?
If I finish my exam early, my dad will pick me up so I don't have to take the bus home.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: I'll pick up her at six.
Say: I'll pick her up at six.
With a pronoun, the object MUST go in the middle: 'pick her up', never 'pick up her'.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
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).
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
pick up + person/item
- the kids
- my sister
- a parcel
- some milk
Don't confuse it
Related
Other meanings and phrases to compare.
- pick up (learn casually) — Another meaning of 'pick up' is 'learn casually'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.