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Portuguese Phrase

Queria combinar uma chamada pra me acordar.

/keˈɾi.a kõ.biˈnaɾ ˈu.ma ʃaˈdãdʒi pɾa mi a.koɾˈdaɾ/
Meaning"I would like to arrange a call to wake me up."
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Meaning

The speaker is expressing a desire to arrange a phone call or alarm that will wake them up. It implies planning ahead, often with a friend or a service, to ensure they get up at a specific time.

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When to use

Use this phrase when you want to set up a wake‑up call, either with a hotel concierge, a friend, or a language‑learning partner, and you want to sound polite and slightly informal.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Queriacombinarumachamadaprameacordar

1

Queria (condicional de querer)

‘Queria’ is the imperfect conditional of ‘querer’, used to make polite requests or express wishes.

2

combinar (verbo transitivo)

Means ‘to arrange’ or ‘to agree on’; it takes a direct object (here, ‘uma chamada’).

3

pra (contração de para)

Informal spoken form of ‘para’; acceptable in conversation but avoid in formal texts.

4

me (pronome reflexivo)

Reflexive pronoun indicating the action is done to the speaker (me acordar = to wake myself up).

5

acordar (infinitivo)

Infinitive verb that follows ‘para’ to express purpose.

🗨In Conversation

A

Queria combinar uma chamada pra me acordar amanhã às 7h.

I’d like to arrange a call to wake me up tomorrow at 7 a.m.

Claro! Vou programar o alarme e te ligo às 6h55.

Sure! I’ll set the alarm and call you at 6:55.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Queria combinar um chamada pra me acordar.

    ‘Chamada’ is feminine, so the article must be ‘uma’.

  • Queria combinar uma chamada para acordar.

    In informal speech ‘para’ is often contracted to ‘pra’, but using ‘para’ is not wrong; the mistake is forgetting the reflexive pronoun ‘me’.

  • Queria combinar uma chamada pra acordar‑me.

    In Brazilian Portuguese the clitic pronoun usually precedes the verb in infinitive constructions (me acordar), not after (acordar‑me).

↔Alternatives

  • Quero marcar um despertador por telefone.

    I want to set a wake‑up call.

  • Preciso de uma chamada para me acordar.

    I need a call to wake me up.

  • Pode me ligar para me acordar às 8h?

    Can you call me to wake me up at 8 a.m.?

pt

Cultural Tip

In Brazil, wake‑up calls are common in hotels and among close friends. Using “pra” (a contraction of “para”) makes the sentence sound conversational; in formal writing you’d use “para”. Also, “combinar” can mean “to arrange” or “to agree on”, so it’s perfectly natural to say “combinar uma chamada”.