Breakdown of O meu pai chama-nos.
o pai
the father / the parents
meu
my (m/f/pl: meu, minha, meus, minhas)
chamar
to call (summon)
nos
us
Questions & Answers about O meu pai chama-nos.
Why is there a hyphen in chama-nos?
In European Portuguese, direct object pronouns like nos (us) usually attach to the end of the verb in simple affirmative sentences. We use a hyphen to connect them, making it chama-nos (calls us).
Isn't the word for "we" or "us" usually nós? Why does it lack an accent here?
They are two different words! Nós (with an accent) is the subject pronoun meaning "we" (the people doing the action). nos (without an accent) is the direct object pronoun meaning "us" (the people receiving the action). Here, the father is calling "us", so we use the object pronoun nos.
Why does the sentence start with O if the English translation doesn't say "The"?
In European Portuguese, it is standard to put a definite article before a possessive word. Because pai (father) is a masculine singular noun, we use O (the) before meu (my). You are literally saying "The my father".
Which verb form is chama?
chama is the present tense form of chamar (to call) for the "ele/ela/você" (he/she/you formal) group. Because the subject of the sentence is O meu pai (My father), it acts as "he" (ele) and takes this form.