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Lesson 2. Chamo-me…: subject pronouns, introductions, and spelling out
I can say my name and ask someone's name — informally and formally — introduce someone else, and spell out my last name.
Chamo-me…
Chamo-me…
Say your name, ask someone else's, introduce a third person, and spell your last name aloud. That's all a first conversation needs.
Subject pronouns: eu, tu, ele, ela, nós, vocês, eles, elas. Like ele and ela, o senhor and a senhora (from the last lesson) are subjects that take the third-person verb. Você: recognize it, don't use it. The full set is in the table.
The subject is usually left out: Chamo-me Sofia. Eu is added only for contrast: Eu chamo-me Sofia, e tu?
Four set phrases: chamo-me about yourself, chamas-te to a friend, chama-se about him, her, or a formal “you”; to ask: Como te chamas? or Como se chama? The short word goes after the verb, with a hyphen: the spelling rule from “Letters and sounds”.
Introducing someone: Este é o Rui, Esta é a Inês: este for a man, esta for a woman. The reply is Muito prazer, then Igualmente.
Spelling aloud: Como se escreve? and then the Portuguese letter names. Com dois esses means a double s; cê-cedilha means ç.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Me chamo Ana” — in Portugal the short word goes after the verb; “me chamo” is used in Brazil.
• NOT “Eu chamo Ana” — without -me it means “I call Ana”.
• NOT “Como se chamas, senhor Sousa?” — o senhor takes the third person: chama.
• NOT “Este é a Inês” — for a woman, esta.
Subject pronouns
o senhor and a senhora are subjects too, and the verb after them is in the third person.
| In English | In Portuguese |
|---|---|
| I | eu |
| you (informal) | tu |
| he | ele |
| she | ela |
| you (between equals; for recognition only) | você |
| you, formal — to a man | o senhor |
| you, formal — to a woman | a senhora |
| we | nós |
| you all | vocês |
| they — men or a mixed group | eles |
| they — women | elas |
| old-fashioned and regional | vós |
Four set phrases for introductions
The short word after the verb takes a hyphen — the spelling rule from “Letters and sounds”.
| Who you're talking to | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| to a friend, a child | Como te chamas? | Chamo-me Sofia. |
| to an adult stranger | Como se chama? | Chamo-me Rui. |
| about him, about her | Como se chama? | Chama-se Mariana. |
| introducing someone else | Este é o Tiago. Esta é a Beatriz. | Muito prazer! |
| replying to “nice to meet you” | Muito prazer! | Igualmente! |
Spelling out
You know the letter names from “Letters and sounds”: here you put them to work.
| What you hear | What you write |
|---|---|
| esse | s |
| com dois esses | ss |
| erre | r |
| cê-cedilha | ç |
Lesson notes
Chamo-me…
Say your name, ask someone else's, introduce a third person, and spell your last name aloud. That's all a first conversation needs.
Subject pronouns: eu, tu, ele, ela, nós, vocês, eles, elas. Like ele and ela, o senhor and a senhora (from the last lesson) are subjects that take the third-person verb. Você: recognize it, don't use it. The full set is in the table.
The subject is usually left out: Chamo-me Sofia. Eu is added only for contrast: Eu chamo-me Sofia, e tu?
Four set phrases: chamo-me about yourself, chamas-te to a friend, chama-se about him, her, or a formal “you”; to ask: Como te chamas? or Como se chama? The short word goes after the verb, with a hyphen: the spelling rule from “Letters and sounds”.
Introducing someone: Este é o Rui, Esta é a Inês: este for a man, esta for a woman. The reply is Muito prazer, then Igualmente.
Spelling aloud: Como se escreve? and then the Portuguese letter names. Com dois esses means a double s; cê-cedilha means ç.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Me chamo Ana” — in Portugal the short word goes after the verb; “me chamo” is used in Brazil.
• NOT “Eu chamo Ana” — without -me it means “I call Ana”.
• NOT “Como se chamas, senhor Sousa?” — o senhor takes the third person: chama.
• NOT “Este é a Inês” — for a woman, esta.