Today’s lesson looks at one of the most basic and necessary phrases in French: Je m’appelle, which literally means “I call myself”. We’ll also look at how to say “What is your name?” in French: “Comment t’appelles-tu?” and “Comment vous appelez-vous?“.
Je m’appelle
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of je m’appelle is zhuh mah-pell or [ʒə ma-pɛl].
Phrase construction
The phrase je m’appelle (my name is) is comprised of je (I) and the verb appeler (to call) in the reflexive (to myself) form. The following is s’appeler (to call oneself) in conjugated in the present tense.
Je m’appelle My name is
Tu t’appelles Your name is (singular, informal)
Il, elle s’appelle His/her name is
Nous nous appelons Our name is
Vous vous appelez Your name is (plural, formal)
Ils, elles s’appellent Their name is
Example sentences
Je m’appelle David. J’ai 49 ans et je viens des États-Unis.
My name is David. I’m 49 years-old and I’m from the United States.
“What is your name?” in French
These next two sentences use the two ways of saying “you” in French: tu and vous.
Comment t’appelles-tu ? Je m’appelle Sylvie et j’ai quinze ans.
What is your name? My name is Sylvie and I’m 15 years-old.
What is your name? My name is Martin and I’m 62 years-old.
Comment vous appelez-vous ? Me m’appelle Martin et j’ai soixante-deux ans.
Related lessons
- Boys and girls names
- French greetings
- “How Old Are You?” In French
- Numbers 1-100
- An vs. Année – Year
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