mon père s'appelle
To say my dad's name is in French, use mon père s'appelle, followed by his name.
This is the standard way to introduce your father's name. In casual speech you may also hear Mon père, il s'appelle, with the name after it.
What does it mean word for word?
Word for word, mon père s'appelle means my father calls himself.
Which one should you use?
mon papa s'appelle sounds more affectionate, like saying my daddy's name is. mon père s'appelle is the standard form and a little more formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb is pronominal, so the pronoun s' comes before appelle.
Did you know?
- Using the phrase mon père in a religious context refers specifically to a Catholic priest, regardless of whether the speaker is the priest's child.
- The word mon likely evolved from the Latin meum but was influenced by the word mon from Gaulish, the language spoken in France before the Romans.
- While mon père is the standard term, using mon papa is the default way adults often refer to their fathers in private, affectionate settings.
Examples in context
- Mon père s'appelle Jean.My father's name is Jean.
- Mon père s'appelle Pierre et il est médecin.My father's name is Pierre and he is a doctor.
Example conversation
Lucas and Léa are talking about their families at school.
- LucasEst-ce que tu connais mon père ?Do you know my father?
- LéaNon, comment s'appelle-t-il ?No, what is his name?
- LucasMon père s'appelle Thomas.My dad's name is Thomas.
- LéaAh, c'est un joli prénom !Ah, that's a nice name!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mon, père, CC BY-SA 4.0.
