Which one should you use?
While twoje imię refers to a given name, the word nazwisko refers to a person's surname or last name.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
If you are speaking formally to a man, you should use pańskie imię instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form twoje imię is in the nominative case and is used when the phrase is the subject of a sentence. If you are using the verb zapomnieć (to forget), the phrase changes to the genitive form twojego imienia.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈtfɔ.jɛ ˈi.mjɛ/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to use nazwisko when you actually mean imię. In English, speakers sometimes confuse these, but in Polish, nazwisko only means your surname.
When do people say it?
When introducing yourself formally, a common way to say "My name is" is Nazywam się. After an introduction, you can respond with Bardzo mi miło, which means "Nice to meet you". In informal situations, you can also simply state your name alone, such as Piotr. Common Polish names include Adam, Beata, Jan (John), Magdalena (Magdalene), Piotr (Peter), Alicja (Alice) and Katarzyna (Katherine).
Did you know?
- Polish has a tradition of 'diminutives' where a person's imię is shortened and modified to show affection, such as changing Katarzyna to Kasia.
- The word imię is a neuter noun, which means that even if you are talking about a man's name, the adjective for 'your' must take the neuter form twoje.
- The word imię is a cognate of the English word 'name', as both descend from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁n̥h₃mén.
Examples in context
- Czy to twoje imię?Is this your name?This sentence is useful for confirming if a specific name belongs to someone using twoje imię.Tatoeba #12189851 by polski_ren, translation #8977027 by Analu_Kalaka
- Twoje imię to Tom, prawda?Your name is Tom, correct?This sentence shows how to state a person's name using twoje imię.Tatoeba #5910632 by qmak, translation #3392297 by CK
- Czy mogę zapytać o twoje imię?May I ask your name?This sentence is a polite way to ask for someone's name using twoje imię.Tatoeba #529617 by orzechowski, translation #347327 by sysko
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Krzysztof and Katarzyna are meeting for the first time at a party.
- KrzysztofJak brzmi twoje imię?What is your name?
- KatarzynaJestem Katarzyna. A ty?I am Katarzyna. And you?
- KrzysztofJa nazywam się Krzysztof.My name is Krzysztof.
- KatarzynaMiło cię poznać, Krzysztofie.Nice to meet you, Krzysztof.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (twoje, imię) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries imię, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
