chiamai

Chiamai is the first-person singular passato remoto form of the Italian verb chiamare, meaning “to call” or “to name.” The form is used to express actions completed in the distant past and is most common in historical, literary, or formal narrative, rather than in everyday speech. The infinitive chiamare derives from Latin clamare, and follows the regular -are verb conjugation pattern in Italian.

In the passato remoto, the main conjugation for chiamare is: io chiamai, tu chiamasti, lui/lei chiamò, noi chiamammo, voi chiamaste, loro chiamarono. The present indicative forms are chiami, chiama, chiama, chiamiamo, chiamate, chiamano; the gerund is chiamando.

Usage notes: Chiamai typically appears in literary texts, chronicles, or historical writings when recounting events. In contemporary Italian, the passato remoto is largely supplanted by the passato prossimo for most spoken contexts, so expressions like ho chiamato are used in everyday conversation. Regional dialects and certain literary styles may retain remoto in narrative.

Examples: Io chiamai Marco alle otto per chiedergli di venire. Tra i documenti storici, l’autore riferì che Carlo chiamò il custode per ottenere l’accesso. In ordinary speech one would say: Io ho chiamato Marco alle otto.

Etymology: from chiamare, itself from Latin clamare, with regular evolution of vowels and consonants in standard Italian.

See also: Chiamare; Passato remoto; Italian verbs.