ich heiße …
The English phrase "my name is" can be translated into German as ich heiße … or mein Name ist …
Meaning: a way to identify oneself (phrase)
Ways to say it
| German |
|---|
| ich heiße … |
| mein Name ist … |
These phrases are used to identify yourself to others. The most frequent method is using ich heiße …, which literally means "I am called…".
Which one should you use?
While ich heiße … is the standard and most common way to introduce yourself, mein Name ist … is a slightly more formal alternative used to state your name.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Bavaria, you may hear the phrase I hoaß used to say "I am called…".
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ich heiße, the verb heißen is conjugated for the first person singular ich by adding the ending -e.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use ich bin … (I am …) to introduce themselves. While this is grammatically correct, it sounds less idiomatic than ich heiße … for a first introduction.
Did you know?
- While heißen means 'to be called', it is also used in German to define a word, such as Das heißt… meaning 'that means…'.
- In some professional contexts, a German speaker might omit the phrase entirely and simply state their name to sound more direct and efficient.
- The word Name is a cognate of the English 'name' and the Dutch naam, stemming from the same Proto-West Germanic root *namō.
Examples in context
- Mein Name ist Anna.My name is Anna.
- Servus! I bin der Sepp.Hi! I am Sepp.
- Grüß Gott! I bin da Klaus.Greetings! I am Klaus.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my name is” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Name, ich, mein, CC BY-SA 4.0.
