¿cuál es tu nombre?
The phrase "what is your first name?" in Spanish is translated as ¿cuál es tu nombre?
This question is used to ask someone for the name they were given at birth. While ¿cuál es tu nombre? is a general way to ask for a person's name, you can use the specific term primer nombre if you need to specify that you are asking for only their first name.
What does it mean word for word?
The word cuál literally means "which", but it is the standard way to ask "what" in Spanish when the answer involves selecting from a set of possibilities, such as names. The word nombre means "name".
Which one should you use?
In English, people often distinguish between "first name" and "last name". In Spanish, the phrase ¿cuál es tu nombre? is often used generally for "your name" and a speaker might need to specify primer nombre if they specifically want only the first name.
When do people say it?
When responding to a question about your name, you can say Mi nombre es [Your Name], Soy [Your Name], or Me llamo [Your Name].
Did you know?
- The word nombre can be a complete sentence on its own. In this case, it is a contraction of ¡no, hombre!, used as an exclamation like 'no way' or 'come on'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, providing just a primer nombre is often considered incomplete because people typically use two surnames to fully identify themselves.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common for people to have two first names, such as Juan Pablo. In these cases, ¿cuál es tu nombre? often prompts the person to provide both.
Examples in context
- No te conozco, ¿cuál es tu nombre?I don't know you, what is your name?
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena are meeting at a social event for the first time.
- MateoHola, soy Mateo. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?Hello, I am Mateo. What is your name?
- ElenaHola Mateo, mi nombre es Elena.Hello Mateo, my name is Elena.
- MateoMucho gusto, Elena.Nice to meet you, Elena.
- ElenaIgualmente, Mateo.Nice to meet you too, Mateo.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuál, es, nombre, tu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
