What does 'to hook up later' mean?

Question

My classmate asked me if I want to 'hook up' later.

What does that mean?

Does he mean to meet up and study? Or something else, like meeting up for food?

I have never heard of hooking up before, please explain me.

Answer 1

To expand a bit on Ustanak's answer, I would say that the exact meaning depends on the context.

Given that you refer to this person as a classmate, I hope he's asking to meet later to discuss something pertaining to your academic studies. However, a few other possibilities might exist:

He could be romantically interested you, and casually asking you on a date (perhaps to go get coffee together).

He could be crudely propositioning you for sexual relations (I hope this isn't the case!). A somewhat flippant way to say that you had sex with someone is to say that you "hooked up with him/her", and you might refer to that person as "a hookup" (many people consider this disrespectful, as it implies that the only interest you had in that person was sexual, and that you don't intend to pursue a relationship).

From what you've said, I think the first case is most likely, but if you're learning English, it can be difficult to pick up on the cues that would indicate romantic (or other) intent.

Answer 2

hook up = meet someone.
In this case, your mate asked if you want to meet her/him later. (The activity is unknown, the only thing you get for sure is that you'll meet her/him.)