Eu chamei a polícia.

Breakdown of Eu chamei a polícia.

eu
I
chamar
to call
a polícia
the police

Questions & Answers about Eu chamei a polícia.

Why is eu there? Can I leave it out?

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb already makes the subject clear.

  • Eu chamei a polícia. = correct
  • Chamei a polícia. = also correct and very natural

Including eu can add emphasis, contrast, or clarity, for example:

  • Eu chamei a polícia, não ele.
    I called the police, not him.
What tense is chamei?

Chamei is the first person singular form of chamar in the pretérito perfeito (simple past / preterite).

So:

  • chamar = to call
  • eu chamei = I called

This tense is used for a completed action in the past.

Examples:

  • Eu chamei um táxi. = I called a taxi.
  • Eu chamei minha irmã. = I called my sister.
Why does chamei end in -ei?

Because chamar is an -ar verb, and in the preterite, the eu form usually ends in -ei.

For chamar:

  • eu chamei
  • você/ele/ela chamou
  • nós chamamos
  • vocês/eles/elas chamaram

So -ei is a very common ending for I in the past with -ar verbs:

  • falei = I spoke
  • comprei = I bought
  • trabalhei = I worked
Why is it a polícia and not para a polícia?

Because chamar normally takes a direct object.

You call someone/something directly:

  • chamar a polícia
  • chamar um médico
  • chamar um táxi

So here:

  • a polícia = the direct object

Using para would change the structure and usually suggest something more like calling to someone rather than calling/summoning them.

Why is polícia singular? In English we say the police, which looks plural.

In Portuguese, a polícia is usually treated as a singular feminine noun referring to the police as an institution or force.

So:

  • a polícia chegou = the police arrived
  • a polícia foi chamada = the police were called

If you want to talk about individual police officers, you would usually say:

  • os policiais = the police officers / the cops

So:

  • Eu chamei a polícia. = I called the police.
  • Eu chamei os policiais. = I called the police officers.
Why is polícia feminine?

Because the noun polícia is grammatically feminine in Portuguese, so it takes:

  • a polícia
  • a polícia brasileira
  • essa polícia

This is a grammar feature, not something based on real-world gender.

Many nouns ending in -a are feminine, and polícia is one of them.

Do I need the article a before polícia?

In this sentence, yes, a polícia is the normal and natural form.

Portuguese often uses articles where English may not focus on them as much. Here, a polícia refers to the police as a known service/institution.

So:

  • Eu chamei a polícia. = natural
  • Eu chamei polícia. = not standard in this context
Is chamar a polícia the same as ligar para a polícia?

Not exactly.

  • chamar a polícia means to call/summon the police
  • ligar para a polícia means to phone the police

In many situations, chamei a polícia strongly suggests that you contacted them so they would come, whether by phone or another method.

If you specifically want to emphasize the phone call itself, liguei para a polícia is more precise.

How do I pronounce chamei?

In Brazilian Portuguese, chamei is approximately:

  • sha-MEI

A few details:

  • ch in Brazilian Portuguese usually sounds like English sh
  • the stress is on -mei
  • ei here sounds roughly like ay in say

So chamei sounds roughly like sha-MAY.

Why does polícia have an accent mark?

The accent in polícia shows the stressed syllable:

  • po--ci-a

So the stress is on .

The accent mark is important because it tells you how to pronounce the word correctly. Without it, the stress pattern would be unclear or wrong.

Could I say Eu chamava a polícia instead?

That would mean something different.

  • Eu chamei a polícia. = I called the police.
    A completed action.
  • Eu chamava a polícia. = I used to call / I was calling the police.
    An ongoing, repeated, or background action in the past.

So if you mean one finished event, chamei is the correct form.

Is chamar only used for calling people?

No. Chamar is a very common verb with several uses. It can mean:

  • to call / summon
    Chamei um médico.
  • to call out to
    Chamei meu amigo da janela.
  • to be called / named
    Eu me chamo Ana.

In Eu chamei a polícia, it means to call/summon.

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