How to Say "Hello What Is Your Name" in Spanish

Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?

In Spanish, "hello what is your name" is said as Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?

This phrase is a greeting used to introduce oneself and ask for another person's name.

What does it mean word for word?

The part ¿cómo te llamas? literally translates to "how do you call yourself?" in English.

The form Hola, ¿cómo te llamas? is used for friends or peers, whereas ¿cómo se llama usted? is the version used to be polite or formal.

The verb llamarse is reflexive, which is why the pronoun te is used in the informal form ¿cómo te llamas?

Avoid translating "what is your name?" literally as ¿cómo es tu nombre?, as this sounds unnatural in Spanish. Instead, use ¿cómo te llamas?

A common way to respond to this question is Me llamo… followed by your name.

The word hola has a surprisingly forceful history, as it likely evolved from the French command holà, which was used to tell someone to 'stop!' rather than to greet them.
In some Spanish-speaking regions, hola is used as a loud call to grab someone's attention from a distance rather than just as a polite opening to a conversation.
In very formal settings, asking ¿Cómo se llama usted? may be preceded by a title like Señor or Señora to avoid sounding too abrupt.

Elena meets Daniel for the first time at a social event.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏