How do you ask someone their name in Spanish?
Surprise, surprise, this is likely to be one of the main ways a conversation with a new person starts when you are traveling abroad in a Spanish-speaking (or really, any) country. People typically like to know the name of the person that they are talking to, because it makes them feel more open and at-ease.
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo te llamas? | What is your name? (What do you call yourself?) | By far the most common way of asking someone's name. It literally translates to "what do you call yourself?", but is understood to mean "what is your name?" |
| ¿Cómo se llama? | What is your name? (formal) | This is the formal version that you might use for someone such as a professor |
| ¿Tú cómo te llamas? | What is your name? | The "Tú" precendent is not strictly grammatically necessary, but it might be used, particularly after you have already disclosed your own name to somebody. |
| ¿Cuál es tu nombre? | What is your name? | The literal translation is "which is your name?" and is more popular in formal settings |
| ¿Cuál es su nombre? | What is your name? (formal) | Even a bit more formal than above, as it uses "Usted" |
| ¿Eres ___, verdad? | You are ___, correct? | If you think you know someones name, but are not sure, you could confirm with this phrase - as in, "you're Dave, right?) |
You may hear other people asking you what your name is, and you want to be able to recognize this so that you can start a conversation off on the right foot. Or, you may want to talk to someone whose name you don’t know yet, so you will want to practice pronunciation of this phrase as well.
How to tell someone your name in Spanish
You can respond to someone asking you your name in Spanish with any of the following phrases:
- Me llamo ___ (I am called ___)
- Soy ___ (I am ___)
- Mi nombre es ___ (my name is ___)
It can be a little unusual to hear the first one at first… but it is the most common in most geographies. The verb llamar means call, and the reflexive verb llamarse means to call something or one’s self. So “me llamo Dave” literally means “I call myself Dave” – but it doesn’t sound quite so awkward in Spanish. It’s a perfectly natural way of telling someone your name. It’s also not uncommon to hear the others, though: “Soy Dave” (a bit more casual-sounding) or “Mi nombre es Dave” (somewhat more formal). None of these are considered impolite in any way.
If you want to tell someone your nickname, you may say something along the lines of “Me llamo ___, pero me dicen ___”. For example, “Me llamo Juan, pero me dicen Juanito” (my name is John, but everybody calls me Johnny).
You might also want to familiarize yourself with this name-related vocabulary, to make the conversation flow more easily:
- Nombre de pila: First name
- Primer nombre: First name
- Segundo nombre: Middle name
- Apellido: Last name
- Nombre completo: Full name
- Apodo: Nickname
We hope that you enjoyed learning how to say your name in Spanish! You may also enjoy:
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