Welcome to Can-Do French by FrenchIPod101.com. |
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to give your name in French. |
For example, "My name is Constance. Nice to meet you!" |
is |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchanté ! |
Two passengers, Constance Collin and Hugues Henry , are seated next to each other on a plane to Paris. |
Before you hear their conversation, let’s preview some of its key components. |
Bonjour |
"hi" |
Bonjour |
Bonjour |
Enchanté |
"Nice to meet you." |
Enchanté |
Enchanté |
Listen to the conversation, and focus on Constance’s response. |
Note: both Hugues and Constance use only their first names. |
Ready? |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchanté ! |
Once more with the English translation. |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
"Hi! My name is Hugues. Nice to meet you." |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchanté ! |
"My name is Constance. Nice to meet you!" |
Let's break down Constance’s response. |
Do you remember how Constance Collin introduces herself? |
"My name is Constance. Nice to meet you!" |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchanté ! |
Let’s start with the expression, Enchanté. This literally means "Enchanted!" But it translates as "Nice to meet you." |
Enchanté. Enchanté. |
Do you remember how Constance Collin says, |
"My name is Constance.". |
Je m'appelle Constance. |
First is, je, meaning "I." Je. Je. |
Next is m’appelle, which translates as "call myself." M’appelle. M’appelle. |
This starts with me. "Me." Me. Me. |
Next is appelle. "Call," as in "I call." Appelle. Appelle. |
Appelle is from the verb appeler, meaning "to call." Appeler. |
Me is contracted with appelle to form m’appelle. |
Together, Je m’appelle literally means, "I myself call," but it translates as "my name is." Je m’appelle. |
Next, the name Constance. "Constance." Constance. Constance. |
Together, it's Je m’appelle Constance. "My name is Constance." |
Je m’appelle Constance. |
The pattern is |
Je m’appelle NAME. |
"My name is NAME." |
Je m’appelle NAME. |
To use this pattern, simply replace the {NAME} placeholder with your name. |
Imagine you’re Cristophe. In French, Cristophe. Cristophe. Cristophe. |
Say |
"My name is Cristophe." |
Ready? |
Je m'appelle Christophe. |
"My name is Cristophe." |
Je m'appelle Christophe. |
In written French, the spelling of the expression, Enchanté, will depend on the gender of the speaker. |
For male speakers, Enchanté. |
For female speakers, Enchantée. |
Note the additional "e" at the end of the word. |
The pronunciation of these two variations will be exactly the same. |
Again, the key pattern is |
Je m’appelle NAME. |
"My name is NAME." |
Je m’appelle NAME. |
Let's look at some examples. |
Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers. |
Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté ! |
"My name is Hugues. Nice to meet you!" |
Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté ! |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchantée! |
"My name is Constance. Nice to meet you!" |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchantée ! |
Je m'appelle Christophe. Enchanté ! |
"My name is Cristophe. Nice to meet you!" |
Je m'appelle Christophe. Enchanté ! |
Je m'appelle Lya. Enchantée ! |
"My name is Lya. Nice to meet you!" |
Je m'appelle Lya. Enchantée ! |
Je suis Sadia. Enchantée ! |
"I'm Sadia. Nice to meet you!" |
Je suis Sadia. Enchantée ! |
Did you notice how the last speaker uses a different pattern? |
She says, |
Je suis Sadia. Enchantée ! |
"I’m Sadia. Nice to meet you." |
Je suis Sadia. Enchantée ! |
First is je. "I." Je. |
Next is suis. "Am." Suis. Suis. |
Suis is from the verb, être, meaning "to be." Être. |
Next is the name, Sadia. "Sadia." Sadia. Sadia. |
All together, Je suis Sadia. "I am Sadia." |
Je suis Sadia. Je suis Sadia. |
The pattern is |
Je suis NAME. |
"I am NAME." |
You should be aware of this pattern, but for this lesson, we’ll use the pattern |
Je m’appelle NAME. |
"My name is NAME." |
Let's review the key vocabulary. |
Bonjour. |
"Hi." |
Bonjour. |
Bonjour. |
Let's review. |
Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speaker, focusing on pronunciation. |
Ready? |
Do you remember how to say "I?" |
Je. |
Je. |
And how to say |
"I call myself." |
Je m’appelle. |
Je m’appelle. |
Do you remember how Constance says, |
"My name is Constance." |
Je m'appelle Constance. |
Je m'appelle Constance. |
Do you remember how to say |
"Nice to meet you." |
Enchantée. |
Enchantée. |
Do you remember how Constance says, |
"My name is Constance. Nice to meet you!" |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchantée ! |
Je m'appelle Constance. Enchantée ! |
Do you remember how Hugues says, |
"Hi!" |
Bonjour ! |
Bonjour ! |
Do you remember how Hugues says, |
"Hi! My name is Hugues. Nice to meet you." |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
Let's practice. |
Imagine you're Cristophe. Cristophe. |
Respond to Hugues self introduction. |
Ready? |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
Je m'appelle Christophe. Enchanté ! |
Listen again and repeat. |
Je m'appelle Christophe. Enchanté ! |
Je m'appelle Christophe. Enchantée ! |
Let’s try another. |
Imagine you're Sadia. Sadia. |
Ready? |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
Je m'appelle Sadia. Enchantée ! |
Listen again and repeat. |
Je m'appelle Sadia. Enchantée ! |
Je m'appelle Sadia. Enchantée ! |
Let’s try one more. |
Imagine you're Lya. Lya. |
Ready? |
Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Hugues. Enchanté. |
Je m'appelle Lya. Enchantée ! |
Listen again and repeat. |
Je m'appelle Lya. Enchantée ! |
Je m'appelle Lya. Enchantée ! |
In France, when two people meet for the first time, it's also common to just say your name on its own. Right after saying Bonjour, you pause a bit and then give your name. |
For example, |
Bonjour. Lya. Enchantée. |
"Hi. Lya. Nice to meet you." |
Well Done! This is the end of this lesson. |
In this lesson, you learned how to give your name in French. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself. |
Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills. |
What's next? |
Show us what you can do. |
When you're ready, take your assessment. |
You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like. |
Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results. |
Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson! |
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