6

I think "chamar-se" means "being called".

Are the following example sentences correct?

  • Eu chamar-me Martin. (I call myself Martin.)
  • Você chamar-se Martin. (You call yourself Martin.)
  • Ele chamar-se Martin. (He calls himself Martin.)
  • Ela chamar-se Anna. (She calls herself Anna.)
  • Nós chamamo-nos Anna e Martin. (We call ourselves Anna and Martin.)
  • Vós chamais-vos Anna e Martin. (You call yourselves Anna and Martin.)
  • Eles chamam-se Anna e Martin. (They call themselves Anna and Martin.)

1 Answer 1

7

Yes, "chamar" is to call.

In this case, it's the pronominal form of "chamar", which means "to be called".

Sample sentences

Your sample sentences are almost correct.
You forgot to conjugate the verbs on the first 4 examples.

  • eu chamo(-me)
  • tu chamas(-te)
  • ele chama(-se)
  • nós chamamos (chamamo-nos
  • (vós chamais(-vos))
  • eles chamam(-se)

So:

  • Eu chamo-me Martin.
  • Você chama-se Martin.
  • Ele chama-se Martin.
  • Ela chama-se Anna.
  • Nós chamamo-nos Anna e Martin.
  • Vós chamais-vos Anna e Martin.
  • Eles chamam-se Anna e Martin.

Vós is not normally used

I'd like to point out that the conjugation of the 2nd person plural, vós, is not much used these days.
Instead, we use "vocês" with the third person plural: "vocês chamam-se Anna e Martin."

This question will clarify: Why is "vós" rarely used today?

2
  • 4
    It might be worth pointing out that while, word by word, eu chamo-me Martin means I call myself Martin, we don't think that way: it's just a way of saying my name is Martin; nobody thinks of Martin actually calling himself. Compare with Martin fez um disparate e chamou-se os piores nomes (or better, chamou a si mesmo os piores nomes) Here Martin actually calls himeself names.
    – Jacinto
    Feb 1, 2016 at 19:27
  • 2
    Note: in Brazil, it's much more common to use proclitic pronoums, such as in Eu me chamo Martin. Actually, in spoken language it's frequently ommited: Eu chamo Martin.
    – bfavaretto
    Feb 3, 2016 at 17:40

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.