How to Give Your Name

Learn how to give your name

Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

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!"

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

Enchanté

"Nice to meet you."

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.

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.

And how to say

"I call myself."

Je m’appelle.

Do you remember how Constance says,

"My name is Constance."

Je m'appelle Constance.

Do you remember how to say

"Nice to meet you."

Enchantée.

Do you remember how Constance says,

"My name is Constance. Nice to meet you!"

Je m'appelle Constance. Enchantée !

Do you remember how Hugues says,

"Hi!"

Bonjour !

Do you remember how Hugues says,

"Hi! My name is Hugues. Nice to meet you."

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 !

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 !

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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