Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Como é que te chamas?

Como é que te chamas?

What is your name?

Breakdown of Como é que te chamas?

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching Portuguese (Portugal) grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Portuguese (Portugal) now

Questions & Answers about Como é que te chamas?

Why does the sentence start with Como (how) when the English translation says 'What'?

In Portuguese, you do not literally ask 'What is your name?'. Instead, you use the verb chamar (to call). The question literally translates to 'How do you call yourself?', which is why it uses Como.

What is the purpose of é que in this sentence?

The phrase é que literally translates to 'is it that'. It does not add any new meaning, but Portuguese speakers use it all the time to emphasize that a question is being asked. You could drop it and just say Como te chamas? and it would mean exactly the same thing.

Why is there a te before the verb?

The verb chamar means 'to call'. To talk about names, Portuguese uses reflexive pronouns (words like myself or yourself). The te means 'yourself', so te chamas literally means 'you call yourself'.

Can I use this exact question with anyone?

No, this is an informal way to ask someone their name. The pronoun te and the -as ending on the verb chamas show that this is for tu (the informal 'you'). You would use this with a child or someone your own age in a casual setting. For formal situations, you would ask Como se chama?