te llamas
/te ʝamas/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you name" is translated into Spanish as te llamas.
This phrase is used to state or ask what a person is called. While English speakers typically use the verb "to be" to discuss names, Spanish speakers use a reflexive form of the verb "to call".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te llamas literally translates to "you call yourself" because it uses the reflexive verb llamarse.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the ll sound in te llamas is often pronounced as a "sh" sound instead of the standard "y" sound.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on who you are talking about: use me llamo for yourself, te llamas for a person you are addressing informally and se llama for a third person or to address someone formally.
How do you pronounce it?
/te ʝamas/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the literal translation of "your name is", which is tu nombre es, as it is not the natural way to express this in Spanish. Use te llamas instead.
Did you know?
- Because llamarse is reflexive, a Spanish speaker might accidentally imply they are calling themselves on the phone if they omit the context of a name.
- While te llamas is used for names, Spanish speakers often use the verb llamarse to refer to the identity of a city or a brand, treating the entity as if it were calling itself.
- The word te in te llamas functions as a reflexive pronoun, tracing its roots back to the Latin accusative form tē.
Examples in context
- Señorita DavisMiss Davis
- JuanJohn
- EmiliaEmily
- Hola, soy SaraHi, I'm Sarah
- Me llamo AlexMy name is Alex
- Me llaman MiguelThey call me Michael
- No sé cómo te llamas.I don't know what your name is.
- Dime, ¿cómo te llamas?Tell me, what is your name?
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía meet for the first time at a party.
- MateoHola, soy Mateo. ¿Cómo te llamas?Hello, I am Mateo. What is your name?
- LucíaHola, me llamo Lucía.Hello, my name is Lucía.
- MateoMucho gusto, Lucía.Nice to meet you, Lucía.
- LucíaIgualmente, Mateo.Likewise, Mateo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
