bonjour, je m'appelle Sarah
To say hello, my name is sarah in French, use bonjour, je m'appelle Sarah.
bonjour, je m'appelle Sarah is the standard way to greet someone and introduce yourself. Bonjour is the everyday word for hello and suits both formal and informal situations, and je m'appelle is how French speakers say my name is.
What does it mean word for word?
bonjour means hello. je m'appelle literally means I call myself and is used to say my name is.
Which one should you use?
Salut, je suis Sarah. is an informal way to introduce yourself. Salut is similar to hi or hey.
How does it change in a sentence?
je m'appelle comes from a reflexive verb meaning to be called, which is the usual way to state your name.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often say je suis Sarah, which is correct but sounds less natural than je m'appelle in a formal introduction.
When do people say it?
After introductions, people say Enchanté, meaning nice to meet you. A woman writes the feminine form Enchantée, which sounds the same.
Did you know?
- While bonjour is the standard greeting, saying it multiple times to the same person in one day is often considered strange or repetitive in France.
- In very formal French settings, it is traditional to shake hands while saying bonjour, but the grip is typically brief and firm rather than lingering.
- The word 'je' (I) shares a common ancestor with the Latin word 'egō', which is the root for many 'I' pronouns across Romance languages.
Examples in context
- Bonjour, je m'appelle Sarah et je suis nouvelle ici.Hello, my name is Sarah and I am new here.
- Bonjour, je m'appelle Sarah, enchantée.Hello, my name is Sarah, nice to meet you.
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma meet for the first time at a party.
- HugoBonjour, je m'appelle Hugo.Hello, my name is Hugo.
- EmmaBonjour, je m'appelle Sarah.Hello, my name is Sarah.
- HugoEnchanté de te rencontrer, Sarah.Nice to meet you, Sarah.
- EmmaMoi aussi, enchantée !Me too, nice to meet you!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Sarah, bonjour, je, CC BY-SA 4.0.
