chamarse
Saying Your Name with Chamarse
Say your name with chamarse: Chámome Uxía. (My name is Uxía.) Ask with Como te chamas? (What is your name?)
How It Works
The forms in a statement
- eu chámome (my name is)
- ti chámaste (your name is)
- el, ela, vostede chámase (his, her name is; your name is, formal)
- nós chamámonos (our names are)
- vós chamádesvos (your names are)
- eles, elas, vostedes chámanse (their names are)
Why the accent? Adding the pronoun makes the word longer, so the stress falls on the third syllable from the end. Galician marks those words with an accent: chamo + me = chámome. In the nós form the -s drops before nos: chamámonos. See written accent rules.
Pronoun after the verb. In a plain statement, the pronoun never starts the sentence: Chámome Uxía, not Me chamo Uxía. See pronouns after the verb.
Pronoun before the verb. A question word or non pulls the pronoun forward: Como te chamas? (ti), Como se chama vostede? (formal), Non me chamo Brais. See pronouns in wh-questions and pronoun placement with negatives.
Things too. Chamarse also names places and objects: Como se chama isto en galego? (What is this called in Galician?)
You can also say O meu nome é Uxía (My name is Uxía), but Chámome Uxía is the everyday way.
Examples (6)
- Chámome Uxía.
My name is Uxía.
Word by Word: I-call-myself Uxía.
- Como te chamas?
What is your name?
Word by Word: How yourself you-call?
After the question word como, the pronoun te goes before the verb.
- Chámase Brais.
His name is Brais.
Word by Word: He-calls-himself Brais.
- Como se chama vostede?
What is your name? (formal)
Vostede takes the third-person pronoun se.
- Non me chamo Brais, chámome Breogán.
My name is not Brais, it is Breogán.
After non, me goes before the verb; in the second clause it follows the verb again.
- Como se chama isto en galego?
What is this called in Galician?
Common Mistakes
Starting a statement with the pronoun, as in Spanish.
Me chamo Uxía.Chámome Uxía.In a plain statement the pronoun goes after the verb and is joined to it.
Leaving the pronoun after the verb in a wh-question.
Como chámaste?Como te chamas?A question word such as como pulls the pronoun in front of the verb.
Forgetting the accent on the joined form.
Chamome Uxía.Chámome Uxía.With the pronoun attached, the stress is on the third-to-last syllable, so it needs an accent: chámome.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Chamarse gives a name with a reflexive pronoun whose position changes in questions and negatives.
- Present of -ar VerbsPresent Tense of -ar Verbs
Recognize present forms of chamar before adding the name-giving pronoun.
Level 1 - que / quen / onde / cando / comoQuestion Words
Recognize the question word in Como te chamas?
Level 1 - nonNegation with Non
Recognize non before the negative naming pattern.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- Reflexive Verbs
Chamarse is one of the first reflexive verbs learners meet.
Level 2 - Pronouns After the Verb
The general rule that puts the pronoun after the verb in statements.
Level 2 - Pronouns Before the Verb in Wh- Questions
Why Como te chamas? has the pronoun first.
Level 2 - Pronouns Before the Verb After Negatives
Why Non me chamo has the pronoun first.
Level 2 - ti / vostedeInformal Ti and Formal Vostede
Como te chamas? for ti, Como se chama vostede? for vostede.
Level 1 - Written Accent Rules
Explains the accent in chámome and chámase.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice chamarse in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Galician lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
