1.2. Comment tu t’appelles ?

Finding Out Someone’s Name

1.2.1. The Main Idea

To ask someone’s name in French, use comment tu t’appelles ? informally or comment vous vous appelez ? formally.

Comment tu t’appelles ?	What is your name? informal
Comment vous vous appelez ?	What is your name? formal / plural
Tu t’appelles comment ?	What is your name? informal, conversational
Vous vous appelez comment ?	What is your name? formal / plural, conversational

1.2.2. Saying Your Name

Use je m’appelle to say my name is.

Je m’appelle Haoxuan.	My name is Haoxuan.
Je m’appelle Marie.	My name is Marie.
Moi, je m’appelle Paul.	Me, my name is Paul.
Et toi ?	And you? informal
Et vous ?	And you? formal / plural

1.2.3. The Verb S’appeler

S’appeler means to be called / to call oneself. It is a pronominal verb.

je m’appelle	my name is / I am called
tu t’appelles	your name is / you are called
il s’appelle	his name is / he is called
elle s’appelle	her name is / she is called
nous nous appelons	our names are / we are called
vous vous appelez	your name is / you are called
ils s’appellent	their names are / they are called
elles s’appellent	their names are / they are called

Notice the spelling: j’appelle, tu appelles, il appelle, ils appellent, but nous appelons and vous appelez.

1.2.4. Asking Someone Else’s Name

Il s’appelle comment ?	What is his name?
Elle s’appelle comment ?	What is her name?
Comment il s’appelle ?	What is his name?
Comment elle s’appelle ?	What is her name?
Comment s’appelle ton ami ?	What is your friend’s name?
Comment s’appelle ta professeure ?	What is your professor’s name? feminine

1.2.5. Giving Someone Else’s Name

Il s’appelle Marc.	His name is Marc.
Elle s’appelle Claire.	Her name is Claire.
Mon ami s’appelle Alex.	My friend’s name is Alex.
Ma professeure s’appelle Madame Dupont.	My professor’s name is Madame Dupont.
Ils s’appellent Marc et Paul.	Their names are Marc and Paul.
Elles s’appellent Claire et Sophie.	Their names are Claire and Sophie.

1.2.6. First Name and Last Name

un prénom	a first name
un nom de famille	a last name / family name
le prénom	the first name
le nom	the name / last name
Comment tu t’appelles ?	What is your name?
Quel est ton prénom ?	What is your first name? informal
Quel est votre prénom ?	What is your first name? formal
Quel est ton nom de famille ?	What is your last name? informal
Quel est votre nom de famille ?	What is your last name? formal

1.2.7. Spelling a Name

Comment ça s’écrit ?	How is that written? / How do you spell that?
Tu peux épeler ?	Can you spell it? informal
Vous pouvez épeler ?	Can you spell it? formal / plural
Ça s’écrit H-A-O-X-U-A-N.	It is spelled H-A-O-X-U-A-N.
Mon prénom s’écrit H-A-O-X-U-A-N.	My first name is spelled H-A-O-X-U-A-N.

1.2.8. Polite Name Questions

Excusez-moi, comment vous vous appelez ?	Excuse me, what is your name? formal
Vous êtes monsieur comment ?	What is your last name, sir? conversational
Vous êtes madame comment ?	What is your last name, ma’am? conversational
Vous pouvez répéter votre nom ?	Can you repeat your name? formal
Vous pouvez épeler votre nom ?	Can you spell your name? formal

1.2.9. Informal Name Questions

Salut, tu t’appelles comment ?	Hi, what is your name?
Comment tu t’appelles ?	What is your name?
C’est quoi ton prénom ?	What is your first name? casual
Tu peux répéter ton nom ?	Can you repeat your name?
Tu peux épeler ton prénom ?	Can you spell your first name?

1.2.10. Core Patterns

Comment tu t’appelles ?	What is your name? informal
Comment vous vous appelez ?	What is your name? formal / plural
Je m’appelle ___.	My name is ___.
Il s’appelle ___.	His name is ___.
Elle s’appelle ___.	Her name is ___.
Quel est ton prénom ?	What is your first name? informal
Quel est votre nom de famille ?	What is your last name? formal
Comment ça s’écrit ?	How do you spell that?
Tu peux répéter ?	Can you repeat? informal
Vous pouvez épeler ?	Can you spell it? formal

1.2.11. Practice

What is your name? informal
What is your name? formal
My name is Haoxuan.
His name is Marc.
Her name is Claire.
What is your first name? informal
What is your last name? formal
How do you spell that?
Can you repeat your name? formal
And you? informal

1.2.12. Answers

What is your name? informal	Comment tu t’appelles ?
What is your name? formal	Comment vous vous appelez ?
My name is Haoxuan.	Je m’appelle Haoxuan.
His name is Marc.	Il s’appelle Marc.
Her name is Claire.	Elle s’appelle Claire.
What is your first name? informal	Quel est ton prénom ?
What is your last name? formal	Quel est votre nom de famille ?
How do you spell that?	Comment ça s’écrit ?
Can you repeat your name? formal	Vous pouvez répéter votre nom ?
And you? informal	Et toi ?

1.2.13. Short Dialogue

A : Bonjour ! Comment tu t’appelles ?	A: Hello! What is your name?
B : Je m’appelle Haoxuan. Et toi ?	B: My name is Haoxuan. And you?
A : Moi, je m’appelle Claire.	A: Me, my name is Claire.
B : Enchanté.	B: Nice to meet you. masculine speaker
A : Enchantée. Comment ça s’écrit, Haoxuan ?	A: Nice to meet you. How do you spell Haoxuan?
B : Ça s’écrit H-A-O-X-U-A-N.	B: It is spelled H-A-O-X-U-A-N.

1.2.14. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to ask someone’s name formally and informally, say your own name, ask and give someone else’s name, talk about first names and last names, and ask someone to repeat or spell a name.