salut, je m'appelle Alex
To say hi, my name is alex in French, use salut, je m'appelle Alex.
salut, je m'appelle Alex is a casual way to greet someone and introduce yourself. salut means hi and je m'appelle is how French speakers say my name is.
What does it mean word for word?
salut means hi. je m'appelle literally means I call myself and is used to say my name is.
Which one should you use?
Use Bonjour instead of Salut to be more polite or formal, for example with a stranger or a superior. Bonjour, je m'appelle Alex. means hello, my name is Alex. Salut, je suis Alex. is another informal option.
How does it change in a sentence?
je m'appelle comes from a reflexive verb meaning to be called. The pronoun me shortens to m' before a vowel.
What mistakes should you avoid?
je suis Alex is understood, but it is less common for formal introductions than the standard je m'appelle.
Did you know?
- The word salut is an unusual greeting because it can be used both when arriving to say 'hi' and when leaving to say 'bye'.
- The word salut is a linguistic survivor from the Latin 'salūtem', which originally meant 'health' or 'wholeness'.
- While salut is casual, it shares the same root as the English word 'salutation', which is much more formal.
Examples in context
- Salut, je m'appelle Alex, enchanté.Hi, my name is Alex, nice to meet you.
- Salut, je m'appelle Alex et je suis nouveau ici.Hi, my name is Alex and I am new here.
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time in a classroom.
- HugoSalut, je m'appelle Alex.Hi, my name is Alex.
- LéaSalut Alex, moi c'est Léa.Hi Alex, I'm Léa.
- HugoTu es nouvelle ici ?Are you new here?
- LéaOui, c'est mon premier jour.Yes, it's my first day.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Alex, je, salut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
