chiama

Chiama is a form of the Italian verb chiamare, which means to call or to name. It is most commonly encountered as a conjugated form in everyday Italian sentences.

In Italian grammar, chiama can function in two main ways. As the third-person singular present indicative form, it appears in sentences such as Lui/lei chiama, meaning "he calls" or "she calls" (and, in a formal context, Lei chiama meaning "you call" when addressing someone politely). Chiama also appears as the informal second-person singular imperative, used to give a direct command: Chiama! meaning "Call!" or "Phone!" in a direct instruction to someone you know well. The subject pronoun is usually omitted in these forms, as is typical in Italian conjugation.

The verb chiamare itself derives from Latin clamāre, meaning to cry out or to call. Over time, it acquired the broader sense of summoning or naming. Chiama, as a word form, therefore sits at the intersection of the semantic fields of calling someone by phone, calling someone to speak, or naming someone or something in a sentence.

Usage notes: chiama is widely used across formal and informal contexts depending on the associated pronoun. In polite speech, Lei chiama is common for addressing someone with respect, while in casual speech, tu chiami (present indicative for “you call”) would be used with a different form (not chiama). The imperative Chiama is a direct command to a single informal addressee.

See also: chiamare, Italian verb conjugation, Italian grammar.