su nombre
/su nombɾe/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "her name" is su nombre.
The phrase su nombre refers to the name belonging to a female person.
Which one should you use?
The phrase su nombre is ambiguous in Spanish. While it means "her name", it is also used to mean "his name", "your (formal) name" or "their name" depending on the context of the conversation.
How does it change in a sentence?
The possessive adjective su must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, which is nombre. Because nombre is a masculine noun, you use su regardless of whether the person who owns the name is male or female. If you are referring to multiple names, such as several middle names or the names of multiple women, the phrase becomes sus nombres.
How do you pronounce it?
/su nombɾe/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a person's full nombre typically includes two surnames: one from the father and one from the mother.
- The word nombre has a legendary folk etymology suggesting it originated from the exclamation no, hombre!, meaning 'no, man!'
- While su nombre is the standard way to say 'her name', people often use the phrase se llama meaning 'she calls herself' when introducing someone.
Examples in context
- Su nombre es Mary.Her name is Mary.This sentence is useful for showing how to state what a person's name is using su nombre.Tatoeba #2382879 by hayastan, translation #2273434 by CK
- María es su nombre.Maria is her name.This sentence is useful for showing an alternative word order for a name using su nombre.Tatoeba #5014570 by don_ramon, translation #13617228 by araneo
- No conozco su nombre.I don't know her name.This sentence is useful for expressing that you do not know someone's name using su nombre.Tatoeba #4459850 by cueyayotl, translation #2239585 by Hybrid
- 46 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Lucía are talking about a new colleague.
- Daniel¿Sabes cuál es su nombre?Do you know what her name is?
- LucíaSí, su nombre es Elena.Yes, her name is Elena.
- DanielEs un nombre muy bonito.It is a very beautiful name.
- LucíaSí, a ella le gusta mucho.Yes, she likes it a lot.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries nombre, su, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
