me llamo Sienna
/me ʝamo sjenna/from spelling rules
To say "my name is sienna" in Spanish, you say me llamo Sienna.
This phrase is used to introduce yourself by stating your name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase me llamo literally translates to "I call myself".
Which one should you use?
While Mi nombre es Sienna is a grammatically correct way to say "My name is Sienna", the phrase me llamo Sienna is much more common and natural in spoken Spanish for introductions.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to use the same verb to say "his/her name is" or "their name is", you change me llamo to se llama.
Did you know?
- The verb llamar in me llamo also means 'to call' in the sense of using a telephone, meaning the same word is used for both your name and calling a friend.
- While me llamo is the standard way to introduce yourself, in some Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to start an introduction by saying mucho gusto or encantado before stating your name.
- The word me in me llamo shares an ancient root with the English word 'me'. Both stem from the same Proto-Indo-European origins used to denote the person being acted upon.
Examples in context
- Hola, me llamo Sienna.Hello, my name is Sienna.
- Mucho gusto, me llamo Sienna.Nice to meet you, my name is Sienna.
- Me llamo Sienna y soy de España.My name is Sienna and I am from Spain.
Example conversation
Two students meet for the first time in class.
- MateoHola, me llamo Mateo.Hello, my name is Mateo.
- ElenaHola Mateo, me llamo Sienna.Hello Mateo, my name is Sienna.
- Mateo¿De dóndes eres, Sienna?Where are you from, Sienna?
- ElenaSoy de Estados Unidos.I am from the United States.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries me, CC BY-SA 4.0.
