Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Eles não se chamam Silva.

Eles não se chamam Silva.

They are not called Silva.

Breakdown of Eles não se chamam Silva.

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Questions & Answers about Eles não se chamam Silva.

The lesson says the pronoun usually goes after the verb with a hyphen, like chamam-se. Why is it se chamam here?

In European Portuguese, the pronoun usually attaches to the end of the verb. However, negative words like não act as strong magnets that pull the pronoun in front of the verb. Because of the não, the default chamam-se changes to não se chamam.

Why do we need the word se in this sentence?

The verb used for giving names is chamar-se, which literally means "to call oneself". The word se is a reflexive pronoun that means "themselves" here. So, Eles não se chamam Silva translates literally to "They do not call themselves Silva".

Should I add an "s" to Silva since the subject Eles is plural?

No. When stating someone's name using chamar-se, the name itself stays exactly as it is, even if you are talking about multiple people sharing that name.

Could I leave out the word Eles and just say Não se chamam Silva?

Yes! In Portuguese, the verb ending in chamam already tells us that the subject is "they" (or the plural formal "you"). Dropping the subject pronoun is very natural and common when it is already clear who you are talking about.