Quid est tibi nomen?
[ˈkʷɪd ˈɛst ˈtɪ.biː ˈnoː.mɛn]word by word
To ask "what is your name?" in Latin, use Quid est tibi nomen?
This phrase is a question used to ask someone for their name.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "What is to you name?", where Quid is the interrogative pronoun for "what", tibi means "to you" and nomen is the noun for "name".
Which one should you use?
An alternative way to ask the same question is Quid est nomen tuum?, which uses the possessive adjective tuum (your) instead of the dative pronoun tibi (to you).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase Quid est tibi nomen?, nomen is a neuter noun in the nominative singular. The word tibi is the dative singular form of tu, and it is used here to indicate the person to whom the name belongs.
Did you know?
- In Roman culture, a person's nomen specifically referred to their clan or family name, rather than their individual given name.
- The Latin word nomen is also a cognate of the Greek word ónoma, which is where English gets the term 'onomatopoeia'.
- Romans often used a three-part naming system, meaning asking for a nomen might only provide one of three identifiers.
Example conversation
Lucius and Julia meet for the first time at a market.
- LuciusSalve. Quid est tibi nomen?Hello. What is your name?
- JuliaSalve! Nomen mihi est Julia.Hello! My name is Julia.
- LuciusEgo sum Lucius. Gaudeo te convenire.I am Lucius. Nice to meet you.
- JuliaEt ego gaudeo, Luci.Nice to meet you too, Lucius.
