আপনার নাম কি?
apnar nam ki?
The English phrase "what is your name?" is translated into Bengali as আপনার নাম কি? (apnar nam ki?) in its default form.
This phrase is a question used to ask someone for their name. You can respond to this question by saying Amar naam [Your Name], which means "My name is [Your Name].".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase আপনার নাম কি? literally translates to "Your name what?" It is composed of আপনার (your), নাম (name) and কি? (what?).
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to phrase this depending on your relationship with the person. Use আপনার নাম কি? for polite and formal situations. Use তোমার নাম কি? for friends and acquaintances. The form তোর নাম কি? is used only in very informal or intimate settings, such as with very close friends or much younger children.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word নাম (nam) means "name". The level of formality is changed by replacing the possessive pronoun: replacing the formal আপনার (apnar) with the informal তোমার (tomar) makes the question informal.
How do you pronounce it?
apnar nam ki?
Did you know?
- The word নাম (name) is an ancient cognate of the English word 'name', as both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root *h₁nómn̥.
- In very formal or poetic Bengali, the question may be phrased as আপনার নামখানি কি?, adding a suffix to নাম to make the inquiry sound softer and more endearing.
- In many traditional Bengali contexts, asking আপনার নাম কি? is considered too direct. People often start with a greeting or a comment about the setting before asking for a name.
Examples in context
- আপনার নাম কি?apnar nam ki?What is your name?
- দুঃখিত, আপনার নাম কি?dukkhito, apnar nam ki?Sorry, what is your name?
Example conversation
Two people meeting for the first time at a formal gathering.
- অনন্যা Ananyaনমস্কার, আপনার নাম কি?nomoshkar, apnar nam ki?Hello, what is your name?
- আকাশ Akashআমার নাম আকাশ।amar nam akash.My name is Akash.
- অনন্যা Ananyaআপনার সাথে দেখা করে ভালো লাগলো, আকাশ।apnar sathe dekha kore bhalo laglo, akash.It was nice to meet you, Akash.
- আকাশ Akashঅনন্যা, আপনার সাথেও ভালো লাগলো।ananya, apnar satheo bhalo laglo.Ananya, it was nice to meet you too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries কি, নাম, CC BY-SA 4.0.
