elle s'appelle
In French, the phrase used to say "her name is" is elle s'appelle.
This phrase is used to introduce a female person by stating her name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase elle s'appelle literally translates to "she calls herself."
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the reflexive verb s'appeler, which requires the reflexive pronoun 'se' (which is contracted to 's’' because it appears before a vowel).
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using son nom est to say "her name is". Although this is a literal translation of the English phrase, it is not the natural way to introduce someone in French. Instead, use elle s'appelle.
Did you know?
- The word elle comes from the Latin illa, which was originally a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that woman' before it became a personal pronoun.
- In some regional dialects of France, the word elle is used as a tonic pronoun after the subject, creating a redundant structure like elle, elle s'appelle… for emphasis.
- In very formal French, you might encounter the phrase elle se nomme, which is a more prestigious and literary alternative to elle s'appelle.
Examples in context
- Ma femme est finlandaise. Elle s'appelle Marika.My wife is Finnish. Her name is Marika.This sentence shows how to introduce a wife by name using elle s'appelle.Tatoeba #5305930 by Amastan, translation #13496662 by rul
- Il a une nouvelle collègue. Elle s'appelle Claire.He has a new colleague. Her name is Claire.This sentence shows how to introduce a colleague by name using elle s'appelle.Tatoeba #3273573 by nimfeo, translation #3273572 by sundown
- Elle s'appelle Mary.Her name is Mary.This sentence is a simple way to state her name using elle s'appelle.Tatoeba #7696045 by Maxence, translation #2273434 by CK
- Elle s'appelle SophieHer name is Sophie
- Elle se nomme MarieHer name is Marie
- Elle s'appelle CamilleHer name is Camille
- C'est JulietteHer name is Juliette
- Elle se prénomme LéaHer name is Léa
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are looking at a photo of a new neighbor.
- GabrielTu vois cette femme sur la photo ?Do you see this woman in the photo?
- LéaOui, elle s'appelle Sophie.Yes, her name is Sophie.
- GabrielEst-ce qu'elle est gentille ?Is she kind?
- LéaOui, elle est très sympathique.Yes, she is very friendly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries elle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
