¿cómo se llama tu madre?
/ˈkomo se ˈʝama tu ˈmadɾe/word by word
To ask "what is your mother's name?" in Spanish, use ¿cómo se llama tu madre?
This phrase is used to ask for the name of someone's mother.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿cómo se llama tu madre? literally translates to "how does your mother call herself?"
Which one should you use?
The most natural way to ask is ¿cómo se llama tu madre? You may also encounter ¿Cuál es el nombre de tu madre?, which is a more literal but slightly more formal or stilted way to ask the same thing.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can also phrase the question as ¿Cómo se llama tu mamá? using mamá instead of madre.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this context, su is the singular formal possessive pronoun for "your".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkomo se ˈʝama tu ˈmadɾe/
When do people say it?
When answering this question, a natural response uses the third-person singular form of the verb llamarse, such as Se llama [Name].
Did you know?
- The word llama in the question is an entirely different word from the animal known as a 'llama', which is borrowed from the Quechua language.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking for a mother's name can be a way to establish a familial connection or trust between strangers.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, the term madre can be used colloquially to refer to a person's biological mother, but in certain slang contexts, it can also be a euphemistic or even an expletive-adjacent term depending on the region.
Examples in context
- Disculpe, ¿cómo se llama su madre?Excuse me, what is your mother's name?
- Oye, ¿cómo se llama tu madre?Hey, what's your mother's name?
- Dime, ¿cómo se llama tu madre?Tell me, what is your mother's name?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their families at a cafe.
- LucíaDaniel, ¿cómo se llama tu madre?Daniel, what is your mother's name?
- DanielSe llama Elena.Her name is Elena.
- LucíaEs un nombre muy bonito.It is a very beautiful name.
- DanielGracias, Lucía.Thank you, Lucía.
