mi chiamo John
The English phrase 'my name is john' is translated into Italian as mi chiamo John.
mi chiamo John is the sentence used to introduce oneself by stating one's name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase mi chiamo literally means 'I call myself'.
Which one should you use?
While Il mio nome è John is a literal translation of 'My name is John', mi chiamo John is the much more natural and common way to introduce yourself in Italian.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb is reflexive, using the reflexive pronoun mi (myself) with the first-person singular chiamo (I call). In the sentence Io mi chiamo John, the pronoun Io (I) is optional and often omitted because the verb ending chiamo already indicates that the subject is 'I'.
Did you know?
- The English name 'John' and the Italian name Giovanni are actually two versions of the same name. They both derive from the Hebrew name 'Yohanan'.
- Adding Piacere (pleasure) after saying mi chiamo John is the standard social gesture to signal 'nice to meet you'.
- The Italian verb chiamare is also the standard word used when you want to 'call' someone on the telephone.
Examples in context
- Io mi chiamo John.My name is John.Tatoeba #2695312 by Guybrush88, translation #1098122 by cntrational
- Ciao, mi chiamo John. Piacere di conoscerti!Hi, my name is John. Nice to meet you!
- Sono John. Piacere di vederti!I am John. Nice to see you!
- Piacere, mi chiamo John.Nice to meet you, my name is John.
- Buongiorno, mi chiamo John.Good morning, my name is John.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries John, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
