How to Say “My Name Is” in French

Telling Others Your Name

Use the basic je m'appelle (zhuh mah-pehl) in most situations. This is the standard way to say "my name is" in French, and is appropriate in any occasion. The verb appeller means "to call," so the phrase literally means "I call myself." For example, you might say "Bonjour! Je m'appelle Marie. Comment vous appelez-vous?" (Hello! My name is Marie. What's your name?)

Say moi c'est (mwah say) to introduce yourself second. If the person you are speaking to tells you their name first, you can use this phrase to introduce yourself in response. If you said "moi c'est Marie," the literal translation would be "me, it's Marie." But what you're actually saying is "I'm Marie." Example: A young woman walks up to you in a café. She says: "Bonjour! Je m'appelle Renée. Et toi?" (Hello! My name is Renée. And you?) You could respond: "Bonjour! Moi c'est Marie. Enchantée." (Hello! I'm Marie. Nice to meet you.) In casual, informal settings, you can leave off any phrase at all and simply say your name in response. The other person will understand that you are introducing yourself. Example: A man approaches you at an informal gathering at a friend's house. He says: "Salut! Je m'appelle Pierre." (Hi! My name is Pierre.) You could respond: "Salut! Marc." (Hi! [I'm] Marc.)

Give your first name only in casual settings. The phrase mon prénom est (mohn pray-nohm ay) means "my first name is." In some situations, you may not care to tell someone your last name, or you may want them to refer to you by your first name only. This phrasing would be appropriate if, for example, someone addressed you formally by your last name, and you wanted them to use your first name instead. However, a French person is much more likely to refer to you by your last name than by your first name.

Provide an alternate or preferred name. If you have a nickname or shortened version of your name that you prefer over your full first name, use the phrase je me fais appeler to let the person know your preference. Example: "Je m'appelle Jonathan, mais je me fais appeler Jon." (My name is Jonathan, but I prefer to be called Jon.)

Present yourself in formal situations. The phrase je me presente means "my name is," but it's more formal. Use it in situations where you might say to someone "I'd like to introduce myself." Though this phrase is more formal, it typically doesn't need to be accompanied by a formal gesture, such as a bow. For example, suppose you were at a dinner party and wanted to introduce yourself to a guest who was famous or distinguished. You might say "Pardonnez-moi. Je me présente, Marie. Enchantée." (Excuse me. My name is Marie. I'm pleased to meet you.)

Asking Someone Their Name

Use vous (voo) when speaking to someone formally. In most cases, the formal pronoun is more respectful than the informal pronoun. This is especially true if the person is older than you, or in a position of authority. Ask them comment vous appelez-vous (coh-moh ah-puh-lay voo). In general, it's more appropriate in France to use vous until the other person uses tu with you. This way you avoid offending anyone or seeming forward.

Say comment tu t'appelles? (coh-moh too t'ah-puh-lay) in a casual setting. If you're talking to someone your age or younger, you can use the more informal tu when addressing the person. Use your own judgement, but don't address someone with tu unless you're confident the person won't consider you rude for doing so. For example, if you're talking to children, you would use tu. You might also use tu if you were at a party or other friendly gathering, and the person was around your age.

Add et toi (ay twah) or et vous (ay voo) if you gave your name first. If the other person has already asked you what your name is, or if you started the conversation by telling them your name, there's no need to repeat the whole question. As in English, you can simply say "and you?" For example, if you saw a child who appeared to be lost, you might say "Salut! Je m'appelle Marie, et toi?" (Hi! My name's Marie, and you?)

Let the person know you are pleased to meet them. When the person tells you their name, it's polite to use a word or phrase that indicates you are pleased to meet them. The most basic thing to say is "enchanté" or "enchantée" (ahn-shahn-tay), which means "delighted." If they've already indicated that they were pleased to meet you, saying it again will make you sound stiff. Instead, simply say de même (deh mehm), which means "likewise."

Having a Simple Conversation in French

Start with a polite greeting. You may already know that "hello" in French is bonjour (bohn-zhoor). This greeting is polite and appropriate at any time, and in any setting. In a casual setting, or amongst people your own age or younger, you might say salut (sah-loo) instead. This is more like saying "hi" in English. A greeting is typically accompanied with the question comment allez-vous? (coh-moh tah-lay voo), which means "How are you?" The most common response is ça va bien (sah vah byang), which means "I'm doing well." You can also simply say ça va, which is closer to saying "fine" in English.

Mention where you're from. Especially if you're traveling, telling the person where you're from is the next logical point in a simple French conversation. Do this by saying je viens de (zheh vee-ehn deh) followed by the name of the city or country where you live. For example, you might say je viens des États-Unis, or "I'm from the United States." The word de changes to match the name of the place. Since états (states) is plural, you would use the plural des. If you're from a place that starts with a vowel, you wouldn't pronounce the e in de. For example, you would say je viens d'Atlanta (I'm from Atlanta). Continue the conversation by asking D'où viens-tu? or D'où venez-vous? which means "Where are you from." You can also simply say Et toi? or Et vous?

Discuss your occupation. When meeting someone new, the conversation typically turns to what you do for a living. You may be asked Qu'est-ce que vous faites? or Qu-est-ce que tu fais? which means "What do you do?" In a conversational context, the person is asking about your profession or occupation. In response, you would say je suis followed by the word for your occupation. Some common occupations include étudiant (student), infirmière (nurse), directeur (manager), and enseignant (teacher). Ask Et toi? or Et vous? to turn the question around to the other person. When they tell you what they do, you might say Est-ce que ça vous plaît? or Est-ce que ça te plaît? You're asking them if they enjoy their work, and giving them an opportunity to talk about it.

Mind your manners with polite words and phrases. French is a more formal, polite language than English. Show respect for the other person by using vous until they tell you otherwise, and including polite words and phrases where appropriate. S'il vous plaît (see voo play) means "please." The informal version is s'il te plaît. Merci (mair-see) means "thank you." You can also say merci beaucoup, which means "thank you very much." If someone says merci to you, reply de rien (deh rryang). Excusez-moi (ecks-cyoo-say mwhah) means "excuse me." You can also say pardon (pahr-dohn). Désolé (day-soh-lay) means "sorry." Either excusez-moi or pardon will also work, depending on the context.

Avoid letting language get in the way. Especially if you're beginning to learn French, it may be a good idea to let the person know early on in the conversation that you don't know a lot of French and want to practice. From there, you can let them know if you don't understand something. Je ne parle pas bien français (zheh neh pahrl pahs byang frahn-seh) means "I don't speak French well." Je ne comprends pas (zheh neh cohm-prahng pahs) means "I don't understand." Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît? means "Please say that again." Parlez plus lentement, s'il vous plaît means "Please speak more slowly."