Chiamare Conjugation in Italian
chiamare means “to call” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Italian learners meet — it sits at number 44 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Italian verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of chiamare — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: chiamare
- English: to call
- Verb type: Regular -are verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: chiamando
- Present participle: chiamante
- Past participle: chiamato
- Auxiliary: avere (all perfect tenses are formed with avere + the past participle)
- Ending: -are verbs; pattern are in the verified tables
Pronunciation
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read chiamare in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about chiamare
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -are pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avere: the passato prossimo is formed with avere in the present plus the past participle chiamato. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The participles are chiamante and chiamato: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for chiamare. Learn the present tense first, then the passato prossimo and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiamo |
| tu | chiami |
| lui/lei | chiama |
| noi | chiamiamo |
| voi | chiamate |
| loro | chiamano |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria”
Passato remoto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiamai |
| tu | chiamasti |
| lui/lei | chiamò |
| noi | chiamammo |
| voi | chiamaste |
| loro | chiamarono |
The passato remoto is used for completed actions in the distant past, mostly in written and literary Italian and in the south of Italy. For example: “Io chiamai Maria ieri.” — “I called Maria”
Imperfect (imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiamavo |
| tu | chiamavi |
| lui/lei | chiamava |
| noi | chiamavamo |
| voi | chiamavate |
| loro | chiamavano |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Io chiamavo Maria una volta.” — “I used to call Maria”
Future (futuro semplice)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiamerò |
| tu | chiamerai |
| lui/lei | chiamerà |
| noi | chiameremo |
| voi | chiamerete |
| loro | chiameranno |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Io chiamerò Maria domani.” — “I will call Maria”
Conditional (condizionale)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiamerei |
| tu | chiameresti |
| lui/lei | chiamerebbe |
| noi | chiameremmo |
| voi | chiamereste |
| loro | chiamerebbero |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Io chiamerei Maria un giorno.” — “I would call Maria”
Present perfect (passato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | ho chiamato |
| tu | hai chiamato |
| lui/lei | ha chiamato |
| noi | abbiamo chiamato |
| voi | avete chiamato |
| loro | hanno chiamato |
The passato prossimo is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken Italian. For example: “Lui ha chiamato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has called Maria”
Pluperfect (trapassato prossimo)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avevo chiamato |
| tu | avevi chiamato |
| lui/lei | aveva chiamato |
| noi | avevamo chiamato |
| voi | avevate chiamato |
| loro | avevano chiamato |
The pluperfect is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Io avevo chiamato Maria prima della festa.” — “I had called Maria”
Future perfect (futuro anteriore)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrò chiamato |
| tu | avrai chiamato |
| lui/lei | avrà chiamato |
| noi | avremo chiamato |
| voi | avrete chiamato |
| loro | avranno chiamato |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Io avrò chiamato Maria per domani.” — “I will have called Maria”
Conditional perfect (condizionale passato)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | avrei chiamato |
| tu | avresti chiamato |
| lui/lei | avrebbe chiamato |
| noi | avremmo chiamato |
| voi | avreste chiamato |
| loro | avrebbero chiamato |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Io avrei chiamato Maria ieri.” — “I would have called Maria”
Present subjunctive (congiuntivo presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiami |
| tu | chiami |
| lui/lei | chiami |
| noi | chiamiamo |
| voi | chiamiate |
| loro | chiamino |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after che. For example: “È importante che io chiami Maria.” — “It is important that I call Maria”
Imperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo imperfetto)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| io | chiamassi |
| tu | chiamassi |
| lui/lei | chiamasse |
| noi | chiamassimo |
| voi | chiamaste |
| loro | chiamassero |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after che, and in if-clauses. For example: “Era importante che io chiamassi Maria.” — “It was important that I call Maria”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | chiama |
| lui/lei | chiami |
| noi | chiamiamo |
| voi | chiamate |
| loro | chiamino |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Chiama Maria!” — “Call Maria!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | chiamare |
| lui/lei | chiami |
| noi | chiamiamo |
| voi | chiamiate |
| loro | chiamino |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Non chiamare Maria.” — “Do not call Maria.”
Gerund
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Gerund | chiamando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with stare for the progressive. For example: “Chiamando Maria, imparo molto.” — “While calling Maria, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Present participle | chiamante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle chiamante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle
| Form | Italian |
|---|---|
| Past participle | chiamato |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Io ho chiamato Maria questa settimana.” — “I have called Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with chiamare, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Italian and try to produce it from the English.
- “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria”
- “Tu chiamasti Maria ieri.” — “You called Maria”
- “Lui chiamava Maria una volta.” — “He used to call Maria”
- “Io chiamerò Maria domani.” — “I will call Maria”
- “Tu chiameresti Maria un giorno.” — “You would call Maria”
- “Lui ha chiamato Maria questa settimana.” — “He has called Maria”
- “Io avevo chiamato Maria prima della festa.” — “I had called Maria”
- “Tu avrai chiamato Maria per domani.” — “You will have called Maria”
- “È importante che io chiami Maria.” — “It is important that I call Maria”
- “Chiama Maria!” — “Call Maria!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Io chiamare Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.”
The infinitive chiamare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form chiamo.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Io chiami Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.”
chiami is the tu form, not the io form. Match the verb to the subject every time: io goes with chiamo.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Io chiamo Maria ieri.”
✓ Right: “Io ho chiamato Maria questa settimana.”
Yesterday points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho chiamato for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passato prossimo
✗ Wrong: “Io sono chiamato Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho chiamato Maria questa settimana.”
The passato prossimo of chiamare is formed with avere plus the past participle chiamato: the io form is ho chiamato. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “È importante che io chiamo Maria.”
✓ Right: “È importante che io chiami Maria.”
After è importante che Italian needs the subjunctive, so use chiami here, not the indicative chiamo.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Io ho chiamando Maria.”
✓ Right: “Io ho chiamato Maria questa settimana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle chiamato, not the gerund chiamando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on chiamare. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the io form of chiamare in the Present indicative?
- A) chiami
- B) chiamo
- C) chiama
- D) chiamiamo
What is the lui/lei form of chiamare in the Passato remoto?
- A) chiamai
- B) chiamasti
- C) chiamò
- D) chiamammo
What is the noi form of chiamare in the Imperfect?
- A) chiamavo
- B) chiamavi
- C) chiamava
- D) chiamavamo
What is the tu form of chiamare in the Future?
- A) chiamerai
- B) chiamerò
- C) chiamerà
- D) chiameremo
What is the io form of chiamare in the Conditional?
- A) chiameresti
- B) chiamerei
- C) chiamerebbe
- D) chiameremmo
What is the lui/lei form of chiamare in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?
- A) ho chiamato
- B) hai chiamato
- C) ha chiamato
- D) abbiamo chiamato
What is the lui/lei form of chiamare in the Present subjunctive?
- A) chiamiamo
- B) chiamiate
- C) chiamino
- D) chiami
What is the io form of chiamare in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) chiamassi
- B) chiamasse
- C) chiamassimo
- D) chiamaste
What is the gerund of chiamare?
- A) chiamato
- B) chiamando
- C) chiamare
- D) chiamo
What does chiamare mean in English?
- A) to sit down
- B) to get dressed
- C) to call
- D) to look for
Answer key
- B) chiamo — the correct form is chiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) chiamò — the correct form is chiamò. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) chiamavamo — the correct form is chiamavamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) chiamerai — the correct form is chiamerai. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) chiamerei — the correct form is chiamerei. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ha chiamato — the correct form is ha chiamato. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) chiami — the correct form is chiami. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) chiamassi — the correct form is chiamassi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) chiamando — the correct form is chiamando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) to call — the correct form is to call. 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 core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is chiamare regular or irregular?
chiamare is regular: it follows the ordinary -are pattern in every tense. The gerund is chiamando and the past participle is chiamato.
What are the gerund and past participle of chiamare?
The gerund is chiamando — use it with stare for the progressive. The past participle is chiamato — use it with avere for the perfect tenses, as in ho chiamato.
Which auxiliary does chiamare take in the passato prossimo?
chiamare takes avere in the passato prossimo: the io form is ho chiamato. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avere plus the past participle chiamato.
How do I say “I call” in Italian?
Say “Io chiamo Maria ogni giorno.” — “I call Maria” The io form of the present is chiamo, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of chiamare — every tense of chiamare in one place.
- Chiamare in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Chiamare examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Italian present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Italian.
- Cercare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Aspettare conjugation — another everyday Italian verb.
- Italian verbs — the full hub of Italian conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise chiamare with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise chiamare with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise chiamare with the interactive tool.