שלום, שמי
shalom, shmi
The phrase שלום, שמי (shalom, shmi) is the Hebrew way to say "hello, my name is".
This phrase is used to greet someone and introduce yourself by stating your name. It consists of the word שלום, which can mean both "hello" and "peace" and the phrase שמי, which means "my name".
What does it mean word for word?
The word שמי is a combination of the noun שם, meaning "name" and the first-person possessive suffix -י (-i), meaning "my".
Which one should you use?
While שלום, שמי is a direct translation of the English phrase, the more common way to introduce yourself in Hebrew is to use the expression קוראים לי, which literally means "they call me".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form שמי is used by any speaker regardless of whether they are male or female.
How do you pronounce it?
shalom, shmi
Did you know?
- Because שלום means 'peace', it is used not only as a greeting but also as a way to say 'goodbye'.
- The word שם for 'name' is also the name of the eldest son of Noah in the Bible, from whom the 'Semitic' language family takes its name.
- The greeting שלום is a cognate of the Arabic word 'salaam', meaning they share a common historical and linguistic ancestor.
Examples in context
- שלום, שמי דני.shalom, shmi Dani.Hello, my name is Dani.
- שלום, שמי שרה ונעים מאוד.shalom, shmi Sarah ve'naim me'od.Hello, my name is Sarah and nice to meet you.
- שלום, שמי איתי ואני חדש כאן.shalom, shmi Itai ve'ani hadash kan.Hello, my name is Itai and I am new here.
Example conversation
Two people meeting for the first time at a networking event.
- רוטם Rotemשלום, שמי רוטם.Shalom, shmi Rotem.Hello, my name is Rotem.
- עידו Idoנעים להכיר, אני עידו.Na'im lehakir, ani Ido.Nice to meet you, I am Ido.
- רוטם Rotemנעים להכיר, עידו.Na'im lehakir, Ido.Nice to meet you, Ido.
- עידו Idoמה אתה עושה כאן?Ma ata ose kan?What are you doing here?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries שלום, שמי, CC BY-SA 4.0.
