excusez-moi, comment vous vous appelez ?
To say "excuse me, what is your name?" in French, you can use excusez-moi, comment vous vous appelez ?
This phrase is a polite way to ask someone for their name when meeting them for the first time.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase comment vous vous appelez literally translates to "how you call yourself".
Which one should you use?
The form excusez-moi, quel est votre nom ? is a more direct way to ask for a person's name. The informal version Excuse-moi, comment tu t'appelles ? is used.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Excusez-moi, quel est votre nom ? is a formal option often used in administrative or very professional contexts. For informal situations, you should use Excuse-moi, comment tu t'appelles ?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this question, the standard way to respond is to use the verb 's'appeler' in the first person by saying Je m'appelle [Name].
Did you know?
- In a social setting, using the phrase Quel est votre nom ? can make you sound like a police officer or a government clerk rather than a friendly stranger.
- While vous is the standard polite word for 'you' in this phrase, it shares a common Latin ancestor with the Russian word вы (vy).
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi, quel est votre nom ?Excuse me, what is your name?
- Excuse-moi, comment tu t'appelles ?Excuse me, what's your name?
Example conversation
Léa and Gabriel meet at a professional networking event.
- LéaExcusez-moi, comment vous vous appelez ?Excuse me, what is your name?
- GabrielJe m'appelle Gabriel. Et vous ?My name is Gabriel. And you?
- LéaJe m'appelle Léa. Enchantée.My name is Léa. Nice to meet you.
- GabrielEnchanté, Léa.Nice to meet you, Léa.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comment, vous, CC BY-SA 4.0.
