elle s'appelle
To say she is called in French, use elle s'appelle.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is reflexive, so it literally means she calls herself.
How does it change in a sentence?
For a group of women, use the plural elles s'appellent.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use the passive elle est appelée to give a name. In French the reflexive elle s'appelle is the standard way to say her name is.
Did you know?
- If you accidentally say elle appelle instead of elle s'appelle, you are no longer introducing a person, but stating that she is performing the action of calling someone on a phone.
- The verb used in elle s'appelle is the same one you would use if you were trying to shout to someone's attention in a noisy crowd.
- The pronoun elle is the direct linguistic descendant of the Latin feminine word illa, which meant 'that one'.
Examples in context
- C'est ma sœur. Elle s'appelle Julia.This is my sister. She is called Julia.Elle s'appelle introduces the sister's name.Tatoeba #748490 by Cocorico, translation #463320 by lukaszpp
- Elle s'appelle Mei. Elle est en train de cuisiner dans la cuisine.She is called Mei. She is cooking in the kitchen.Elle s'appelle gives her name before the sentence about her cooking.Tatoeba #1588114 by jackhayes, translation #456717 by lukaszpp
- Elle s'appelle Marie.She is called Marie.
- Elle se nomme Sophie.She is called Sophie.
Example conversation
Chloé shows Lucas a photo of her daughter.
- ChloéRegarde ma fille sur cette photo.Look at my daughter in this photo.
- LucasElle est très mignonne ! Comment s'appelle-t-elle ?She is very cute! What is her name?
- ChloéElle s'appelle Léa.Her name is Léa.
- LucasLéa est un joli prénom.Léa is a pretty name.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries elle, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
