Introduction

Chiamare means “to call”, and this page covers exactly one thing: chiamare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for chiamare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about chiamare in the present. It means to call someone by phone or by name, and it is completely regular. It also means to name something, as in calling a child by a name, so watch the context to tell the two senses apart. For example: “Lui chiama Maria ogni giorno.” — “He calls Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of chiamare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Chiamare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io chiamo
tu chiami
lui/lei chiama
noi chiamiamo
voi chiamate
loro chiamano
Gerund: chiamando · Past participle: chiamato
The gerund is chiamando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Chiamando Maria, imparo molto.” — “While calling Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is chiamato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho chiamato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how chiamare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for chiamare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of chiamare is formed

The present tense of chiamare has six forms: io chiamo, tu chiami, lui chiama, noi chiamiamo, voi chiamate, loro chiamano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. chiamare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb.

Two things about the present of chiamare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning chiamiamo and chiamate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so chiamo can mean both “I call” and “I am calling” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because chiamare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of chiamare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use chiamare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and chiamare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about chiamare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui chiama Maria ogni giorno.” — “He calls Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with chiamare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi chiamiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “We call Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu chiami Maria ogni giorno.” — “You call Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and chiamare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro chiamano Maria ogni giorno.” — “They call Maria.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui chiama Maria ogni giorno.” — “He calls Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha chiamato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has called Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho chiamato Maria questa settimana.” — “I have called Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu chiami Maria ogni giorno.” — “You call Maria”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai chiamato Maria questa settimana.” — “You have called Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: chiamare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria”
  2. “Tu chiami Maria ogni giorno.” — “You call Maria”
  3. “Lui chiama Maria ogni giorno.” — “He calls Maria”
  4. “Noi chiamiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “We call Maria”
  5. “Voi chiamate Maria ogni giorno.” — “You call Maria”
  6. “Loro chiamano Maria ogni giorno.” — “They call Maria”
  7. “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria”
  8. “Lui chiama Maria ogni giorno.” — “He calls Maria”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Io chiami Maria.” Right: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is chiamo, not chiami. chiami is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi chiamo Maria.” Right: “Noi chiamiamo Maria ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form chiamiamo. chiamo belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho chiamato Maria questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho chiamato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io chiamare Maria.” Right: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive chiamare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form chiamo.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiami
    • B) chiamo
    • C) chiama
    • D) chiamiamo

  2. What is the tu form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiamo
    • B) chiama
    • C) chiami
    • D) chiamiamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiamo
    • B) chiami
    • C) chiamiamo
    • D) chiama

  4. What is the noi form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiamiamo
    • B) chiamo
    • C) chiami
    • D) chiama

  5. What is the voi form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiamo
    • B) chiamate
    • C) chiami
    • D) chiama

  6. What is the loro form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiamo
    • B) chiami
    • C) chiamano
    • D) chiama

  7. What is the io form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiami
    • B) chiama
    • C) chiamiamo
    • D) chiamo

  8. What is the tu form of chiamare in the Present indicative?

    • A) chiami
    • B) chiamo
    • C) chiama
    • D) chiamiamo

Answer key

  1. B) chiamo — the correct form is chiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) chiami — the correct form is chiami. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) chiama — the correct form is chiama. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) chiamiamo — the correct form is chiamiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) chiamate — the correct form is chiamate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) chiamano — the correct form is chiamano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) chiamo — the correct form is chiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) chiami — the correct form is chiami. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does chiamare mean in English?

chiamare means “to call”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of chiamare formed?

The six present forms are: io chiamo, tu chiami, lui chiama, noi chiamiamo, voi chiamate, loro chiamano. chiamare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of chiamare?

The gerund is chiamando and the past participle is chiamato.

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