How to Say “Hello. Who Is This?” in French

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allô, qui est à l'appareil ?
The English phrase "hello. Who is this?" is translated into French as allô, qui est à l'appareil ?
This phrase is used as a greeting when answering the phone or to ask who is calling. The component allô is used almost exclusively to answer the phone or to check if someone is still on the line during a call. Unlike the English "hello", allô is not used as a general greeting when meeting someone in person.

What does it mean word for word?

The part à l'appareil literally means "on the device", which refers to the telephone.

Which one should you use?

While allô, qui est à l'appareil ? is a standard way to ask for identity, there are other variations. C'est qui ? is a shorter and more casual way to ask "who is this?" on the phone. For very informal situations, you might hear Coucou. Tu es qui? (Hey there. Who are you?) or Salut. C'est qui, s'il te plaît? (Hi. Who is this, please?).

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

The phrase allô, qui est à l'appareil ? is a polite and standard way to ask for someone's identity on the phone. For more formal settings, you can use Bonjour. Qui est-ce, s'il vous plaît? (Hello. Who is this, please?) or Excusez-moi, mais je ne vous connais pas. Pourrais-je savoir qui vous êtes? (Excuse me, but I don't know you. Could I know who you are?). In casual or informal settings, you may use Salut. C'est qui, s'il te plaît? or the very casual Coucou. Tu es qui?

Did you know?

  • The word allô is actually a French adaptation of the English greeting 'hallo'.
  • While allô is used for phones, the word appareil is a linguistic chameleon that can refer to anything from a coffee maker to a diving suit.
  • If you use allô to greet a friend in person, a French speaker will likely think you are joking or pretending that they are a telephone.

Examples in context

  • Allô, qui est à l'appareil ? Je ne reconnais pas ce numéro.
    Hello, who is this? I don't recognize this number.

Example conversation

Manon answers a call from an unknown number.

  1. Manon

    Allô, qui est à l'appareil ?
    Hello, who is this?
  2. Nathan

    C'est Nathan. Est-ce que je peux parler à Manon ?
    It's Nathan. Can I speak to Manon?
  3. Manon

    Ah, bonjour Nathan ! Oui, c'est moi.
    Ah, hello Nathan! Yes, it's me.
  4. Nathan

    Super, je voulais juste te poser une question.
    Great, I just wanted to ask you a question.

Sources

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Kirsty Sally
Kirsty SallyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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