por su nombre
/poɾ su nombɾe/from spelling rules
The English phrase "by name" is translated into Spanish as por su nombre.
Meaning: by the usage of one's name (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition por (by/for), the possessive adjective su (his/her/their/your) and the noun nombre (name).
Which one should you use?
In Spanish, por su nombre is frequently used in contrast with de vista (by sight) to distinguish between knowing someone's face and knowing their actual name.
How do you pronounce it?
/poɾ su nombɾe/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the word nombre can be a playful contraction of the phrase ¡no, hombre!, which translates to 'no, man!' or 'no, man!' used as an exclamation.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, calling a superior por su nombre is considered disrespectful, requiring the use of titles like don or doña instead.
- While por su nombre means 'by name', the phrase de nombre is often used in Spanish to specify a legal name as opposed to a nickname.
Examples in context
- Lo conozco de vista, pero no por su nombre.I know him by sight, but not by name.This example shows how to distinguish between knowing someone's face and knowing their name using por su nombre.Tatoeba #1598099 by teskmon, translation #260571 by CK
- Ella le llamó por su nombre.She called him by name.This sentence illustrates the action of calling someone using por su nombre.Tatoeba #572334 by darinmex, translation #316522 by CK
- La conozco de vista, pero no por su nombre.I know her by sight, but not by name.This example uses por su nombre to contrast knowing someone by sight versus by name.Tatoeba #7786607 by Adelpa, translation #7786570 by Adelpa
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are talking about a new coworker.
- AlejandroNo recuerdo cómo se llama el jefe.I don't remember what the boss is called.
- SofíaYo tampoco lo recuerdo por su nombre.I don't remember him by name either.
- AlejandroSolo sé que es el señor Pérez.I only know that he is Mr. Pérez.
- SofíaAhora ya sabemos quién es.Now we know who it is.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nombre, por, su, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
