Chamar is one of the first verbs you need, because it is how Brazilians say their names. It is a regular -ar verb meaning to call in all the English senses — to summon someone (chamar o garçom), to phone, to name or label something — plus the all-important reflexive chamar-se, literally "to call oneself," which is the standard way to state your name: Eu me chamo Ana ("My name is Ana," literally "I call myself Ana"). The conjugation is completely regular; what you must learn is the reflexive construction and the preposition patterns.
The core uses
1. chamar-se — to be named / to be called
This is the reflexive use and the most important one for beginners.
Eu me chamo Pedro, e você?
My name's Pedro, and you?
Como ela se chama?
What's her name?
O restaurante novo se chama Tordesilhas.
The new restaurant is called Tordesilhas.
Notice the pronoun changes with the subject: me chamo (I), se chama (you formal/he/she), se chamam (they). Placement is proclitic in BR — me chamo, not chamo-me (the latter is the European default). See reflexive pronoun forms.
2. chamar — to call / summon someone
Pode chamar o garçom, por favor?
Could you call the waiter, please?
Chama um táxi pra gente.
Call us a cab.
A mãe chamou as crianças pro jantar.
The mother called the kids for dinner.
3. chamar de — to call/label someone (as) something
When you call someone by a name or label, you use chamar (alguém) de:
Todo mundo me chama de Bia.
Everyone calls me Bia.
Ele chamou o chefe de mentiroso e foi demitido.
He called the boss a liar and got fired.
This de is obligatory and is exactly where English uses no preposition ("call me Bia"). It is one of the most common transfer errors.
Indicative tenses
Presente do indicativo
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamo |
| tu | chamas |
| você / ele / ela | chama |
| nós | chamamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamam |
Pretérito perfeito
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamei |
| tu | chamaste |
| você / ele / ela | chamou |
| nós | chamamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamaram |
chamamos is identical in present and preterite, as with all -ar verbs.
Pretérito imperfeito
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamava |
| tu | chamavas |
| você / ele / ela | chamava |
| nós | chamávamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamavam |
The nós form chamávamos carries an acute accent.
Futuro do presente
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamarei |
| tu | chamarás |
| você / ele / ela | chamará |
| nós | chamaremos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamarão |
Futuro do pretérito (conditional)
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamaria |
| tu | chamarias |
| você / ele / ela | chamaria |
| nós | chamaríamos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamariam |
Subjunctive
Presente do subjuntivo
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chame |
| tu | chames |
| você / ele / ela | chame |
| nós | chamemos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamem |
Quer que eu chame um médico?
Do you want me to call a doctor?
Imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamasse |
| tu | chamasses |
| você / ele / ela | chamasse |
| nós | chamássemos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamassem |
The nós form chamássemos carries an acute accent.
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Pronoun | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | chamar |
| tu | chamares |
| você / ele / ela | chamar |
| nós | chamarmos |
| vocês / eles / elas | chamarem |
Se precisar, é só me chamar.
If you need anything, just call me.
Imperative
| Pronoun | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| tu | chama | não chames |
| você | chame | não chame |
| nós | chamemos | não chamemos |
| vocês | chamem | não chamem |
Chama a sua irmã pra vir comer.
Call your sister to come eat.
Non-finite forms
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Infinitivo pessoal — eu | chamar |
| Infinitivo pessoal — tu | chamares |
| Infinitivo pessoal — você/ele/ela | chamar |
| Infinitivo pessoal — nós | chamarmos |
| Infinitivo pessoal — vocês/eles/elas | chamarem |
| Gerúndio | chamando |
| Particípio | chamado |
Source-language note for English speakers
English "call" splits into several Portuguese verbs. To call on the phone is more often ligar (para) in Brazil — Me liga depois ("Call me later") — while chamar leans toward summoning someone in person or hailing (a cab, a waiter). To say what something is named, English uses "is called" with no reflexive, but Portuguese makes the thing call itself: o restaurante se chama.... Finally, "call someone X" maps to chamar alguém DE X — the de has no English counterpart and must be added consciously.
Me liga quando chegar em casa.
Call me when you get home.
Common Mistakes
❌ Como você chama?
Incorrect — asking a name needs the reflexive 'se'.
✅ Como você se chama?
What's your name?
❌ Eu chamo Lucas.
Incorrect — without 'me', this means 'I call (someone) Lucas' or 'I summon Lucas'.
✅ Eu me chamo Lucas.
My name is Lucas.
❌ Todo mundo me chama Bia.
Incorrect — 'call someone X' requires 'de'.
✅ Todo mundo me chama de Bia.
Everyone calls me Bia.
❌ Vou chamar você mais tarde. (meaning 'phone you')
Misleading — for phoning, Brazilians say 'ligar'; 'chamar' suggests summoning you in person.
✅ Vou te ligar mais tarde.
I'll call (phone) you later.
❌ O livro chama 'Dom Casmurro'.
Incorrect — the book 'calls itself', so the reflexive is needed.
✅ O livro se chama 'Dom Casmurro'.
The book is called 'Dom Casmurro'.
Now practice Portuguese
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Reflexive Verbs: OverviewA2 — An introduction to Portuguese reflexive (pronominal) verbs — true reflexives, reciprocals, and lexicalized se-verbs — plus the BR drift toward dropping the pronoun.
- Reflexive Pronouns: me, te, se, nosA2 — The full set of Portuguese reflexive pronouns, how the overloaded se covers most persons, and why Brazilian speech places them before the verb.
- First Conjugation: -ar VerbsA1 — The largest and most regular Brazilian Portuguese verb class — endings across the main tenses, high-frequency verbs, and the gostar de trap.
- FalarA1 — Full conjugation and usage reference for 'falar' (to speak, talk — and in Brazil, to say/tell) — an extremely high-frequency regular -ar verb that also covers ground English splits across several verbs.
- Reflexive Pronouns: me, te, se, nos, seA2 — The Brazilian reflexive pronoun set and its three jobs — true reflexive, reciprocal, and pronominal — with special attention to the overloaded 'se'.