¿Cómo te llamas?
To ask "what is your name?" in Spanish, you use ¿Cómo te llamas?
This phrase is used to ask someone for their name. While English asks "what" a name is, Spanish asks "how" one calls oneself.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ¿Cómo te llamas? literally translates to "How do you call yourself?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form ¿Cómo te llamas? uses the informal "tú" conjugation and is used with peers or children. In contrast, the formal ¿Cómo se llama usted? is a formal way to ask someone's name.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often try to translate "What is your name?" literally as ¿Cuál es tu nombre?, but ¿Cómo te llamas? is much more natural in Spanish.
When do people say it?
A natural response to the question is Me llamo [Name], which literally means "I call myself…"
Did you know?
- In very formal Spanish introductions, such as in diplomatic circles, a person might respond to ¿Cómo se llama usted? by stating their full name including both paternal and maternal surnames.
- Using the formal ¿Cómo se llama usted? with a peer or a child can be perceived as a joke or a way of creating a sarcastic, mock-formal distance.
- The verb 'llamar' can also be used to mean 'to phone' or 'to call someone on the phone', so 'llámame' can mean both 'call my name' and 'call me on the phone'.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?Hello, what is your name?
- Perdón, ¿cómo te llamas?Excuse me, what is your name?
Example conversation
Two students meeting for the first time at a university.
- MaríaHola, soy María. ¿Cómo te llamas?Hello, I am María. What is your name?
- JavierHola, me llamo Javier.Hello, my name is Javier.
- MaríaMucho gusto, Javier.Nice to meet you, Javier.
- JavierIgualmente, María.Nice to meet you too, María.
