Learn Hardcore Czech: Chci vám zavolat večer. - I want to call you in the evening.

Vy is the subject form (you) and would be used like Vy jste učitel (You are a teacher).
In Chci vám zavolat večer, vám is an object: I want to call you.

Czech uses different forms of you depending on grammatical case:

vy – nominative (subject)
vám – dative (indirect object: to you / for you)
vás – accusative (direct object: you)

With zavolat (někomu), the person you are calling is in the dative, so you say vám.

Is vám formal? What is the difference between vám and ti?

Yes. Vám is the formal or plural you in the dative case.

vám – to you (formal singular or plural: to one or more people you address politely)
ti – to you (informal singular: to one friend, child, etc.)

So:

Chci vám zavolat večer. – I want to call you (sir/ma’am / you all) in the evening.
Chci ti zavolat večer. – I want to call you (informal, one person) in the evening.

The rest of the sentence stays the same; only the pronoun changes.

Why is it zavolat and not volat?

Czech verbs come in pairs: imperfective and perfective.

volat – imperfective: focuses on the process, repeated or ongoing action (to be calling, to call repeatedly).
zavolat – perfective: focuses on a single, completed action (to make one call, to give a call).

In this sentence, you’re talking about making one specific call in the evening, so zavolat is natural.

Compare:

Chci vám volat každý den. – I want to call you every day (repeatedly).
Chci vám zavolat večer. – I want to (give you a) call this evening (one event).

Could I say Chci vám volat večer instead? Would that be wrong?

It’s not strictly wrong, but it sounds unusual for the intended meaning.

Chci vám volat večer suggests more of a habit or repeated action:
“I want to (regularly) call you in the evenings.”

For one specific call this evening, Czech speakers strongly prefer the perfective:
Chci vám zavolat večer.

Why is there no preposition before večer? In English we say “in the evening”.

Czech often uses simple time words without prepositions where English uses in, on, at.

Common examples:

ráno – (in the) morning
odpoledne – (in the) afternoon
večer – (in the) evening
v noci / v noci – at night (this one does have v, but many don’t)

So večer alone already means “in the evening / this evening”, depending on context.
You could add dnes večer (this evening, tonight) for extra clarity.

Can I change the word order? For example: Večer vám chci zavolat. Is that still correct?

Yes, that is correct. Czech word order is flexible and often used to change emphasis.

All of these are grammatical, but have slightly different focus:

Chci vám zavolat večer. – neutral: I want to call you in the evening.
Večer vám chci zavolat. – emphasizes when: It’s in the evening that I want to call you.
Vám chci zavolat večer. – emphasizes you: You are the one I want to call in the evening.

The basic information stays the same; the nuance changes with word order and stress.

Where does vám usually go in the sentence? Are there rules for its position?

Clitic pronouns like mi, ti, mu, jí, nám, vám usually go in “second position” in the clause (after the first stressed word).

That’s why these feel natural:

Chci vám zavolat večer.
Večer vám chci zavolat.

Putting vám first (Vám chci…) is also possible, but that strongly emphasizes vám and is used in contrast, like:

Vám chci zavolat večer, ne jemu. – It’s you I want to call in the evening, not him.

Could I drop vám and just say Chci zavolat večer?

Yes, but the meaning changes.

Chci vám zavolat večer. – I want to call you in the evening.
Chci zavolat večer. – I want to make a call in the evening (to someone, not specified).

Without vám, you are no longer saying who you want to call, only that you want to phone someone.

Does Chci vám zavolat večer refer to the future, like “I will call you this evening”?

In real communication, it usually does refer to the future intention.

Literally it means “I want to call you in the evening.”
But in context, it can function as a promise or plan about the future, similar to:

Zavolám vám večer. – I’ll call you in the evening.

Difference in nuance:

Zavolám vám večer. – a straightforward future statement / promise.
Chci vám zavolat večer. – focuses more on your intention or desire to call.

Why is chci followed by an infinitive (zavolat)?

The verb chtít (to want) almost always takes an infinitive when you say what you want to do.

Patterns:

Chci spát. – I want to sleep.
Nechceme odejít. – We don’t want to leave.
Chtěli byste počkat? – Would you like to wait?

So Chci vám zavolat večer. fits this pattern: chtít + infinitive.

What case is vám, and how does it work with zavolat?

Vám is dative (indirect object).

With zavolat and volat, the pattern is:

zavolat / volat někomu – to call someone (person → dative)
optionally: zavolat / volat někomu něco – to call someone something (thing → accusative)

Examples:

Zavolám vám zítra. – I’ll call you tomorrow.
Zavolám vám doktora. – I’ll call a doctor for you.

In your sentence, vám is just the person you’re calling, so it’s in the dative.

Are there other verbs I could use instead of zavolat?

Yes, several:

zatelefonovat (někomu) – also “to phone someone”, a bit more formal/neutral.
- Chci vám zatelefonovat večer.
brnknout (někomu) – very informal, like “to give someone a ring”.
- Chci ti brnknout večer. (informal ti)
provolat – to spend time/money calling (not the same meaning, more about duration or cost).

For standard neutral Czech, zavolat (někomu) is the most typical choice in this sentence.

How do you pronounce Chci vám zavolat večer?

Approximate pronunciation (with English-friendly hints):

Chci – [xtsi] – start with a German-like ch (as in Bach), then tsi.
vám – [vaːm] – vá with a long a (hold it a bit: vaam).
zavolat – [ˈzavolat] – stress on the first syllable: ZA-vo-lat.
večer – [ˈvɛtʃɛr] – VE-cher, with č like ch in church.

Stress in Czech is always on the first syllable of each word, and the whole sentence flows smoothly:

CHci vám ZAvOlat VEčer.