Basic Introductions by French Connection

French uses the verb se présenter, not introduire, meaning to introduce

something into something else, which translates into English as "to insert."
The most basic introduction in French, then, would be:

 Je me présente. = Let me introduce myself.

Using s’appeler is the common way of introducing yourself in French. Don’t

think of it as “to name oneself” because it will only confuse you. Think of it in
the context of introducing your name to someone, and link the French words
to that context instead of applying a literal translation, as in:

 Je m'appelle... = My name is...

Use je suis with people who already know your name, such as those you have
already talked to on the phone or by mail but never met in person, as in:

 Je suis... = I am...

If you don't know the person or have never spoken to him on the phone or
contacted him by email or mail, use je m’appelle, as noted previously.

Bienvenue! Aller

Welcome! to go
Bonjour! Je vais bien.
Hello! I am doing (going) well.
Salut! Vous allez bien.
Hi! You are doing well.
Je m’appelle Pierre. Comment allez-vous?
My name is Pierre. How are you?
appeler Je vais bien. Merci.
to call I am doing well.Thank you.
J’appelle… Et vous?
I call… And you?
Je m’appelle… Je vais très bien.
I call myself… I am doing very well.
Je m’appelle… Très bien. Merci.
My name is… Very well. Thank you.
Je m’appelle Pierre. A bientôt!
My name is Pierre. See you soon!
Enchanté! Au revoir!
Nice to meet you! Goodbye!
Comment allez-vous? Adieu!
How are you? Goodbye!
Lesson Transcript
FORMAL CASUAL
Bonjour! Salut!
Hello! Hi!
Comment allez-vous? Comment vas-tu?
How are you? How are you?
Je vais bien. Et vous? Très bien! Et toi?
I am doing well. And you? Very well! And you?
Ca va bien. Merci. Ca va.
I am doing well. Thank you. I am doing well. I’m alright.
Comment vous appelez- Comment t’appelles-tu?
vous? What’s your name?
What is your name? Je m’appelle Jean.
Je m’appelle Jean. My name is Jean.
My name is Jean. Salut!
Au revoir! Bye!
Goodbye! A plus!
A bientôt! See you!
See you soon!

Introducing by Name
There are also distinctions between formal and informal introductions, as well
as singular versus plural introductions, as noted in the tables in this and the
subsequent section.

French Introduction English Translation

Mon prénom est My (first) name is
Je vous présente (formal and/or plural) I’d like to introduce
Je te présente (informal) I'd like to introduce
Voici This is, Here is
Il s'appelle His name is
Elle s'appelle Her name is
 Meeting People
In French, when you are meeting people, you have to be careful about using
the correct gender, as well as whether the introduction is formal or informal,
as in these examples.

French Introduction Enlish Translation

Comment vous appelez-vous? (formal and/or plural) What is your name?
Comment t'appelles-tu? (informal) What is your name?
Enchanté. (masculine) It's nice to meet you.
Enchantée. (feminine) It's nice to meet you.

French Names
Nicknames — or un surnom in French — are much less common in
this Romance language than in American English, but they are not unheard of.
Often, a longer first name will be shortened, such as Caro for Caroline
or Flo for Florence.

French Name English Translation

Le prénom first name, given name
Le nom last name, family name, surname
Le surnom nickname

Try practicing this dialogue with a colleague and consider recording yourselves
and listening in order to improve your accent.

Tip: Note the way the adjective ending differ depending on whether a man or a
woman is speaking.

Discussion entre Dominique et Noami Conversation between Dominique and Noami

Dominique Bonjour. Hello.

Noami Bonjour. Hello.
Dominique Comment ça va ? How's it going?
Noami Ça va très bien, merci. Et vous ? It's going very well, thank you. And you?

Dominique Ça va, merci. Comment vous appelez- Yes, it's going ok, thank you. What's your
vous ? name?
Noami Je m'appelle Pat, et vous ? Comment My name is Pat, and you? What is your name?
vous appelez-vous ?
Dominique Je m'appelle Dominique. My name is Dominique.
Noami Enchanté(e), Dominique. Nice to meet you, Dominique.
Dominique Enchanté(e), Pat. Nice to meet you, Pat.
Noami Et vous venez d'où, Dominique? And where are you from, Dominique?
Dominique Je viens de France. Je suis français(e). I am from France. I am French.
Noami Ah, vous êtes français(e). Je viens des Oh, you're French. I am from the United States.
États-Unis. Je suis américain(e). I am American.
Dominique Ah, vous êtes américain(e). Vous Oh, you're American. Where are you from
venez d'où exactement ? exactly?
Noami Je viens de Boston. Je suis étudiant(e). I'm from Boston. I am a student.
Dominique Ah, vous êtes étudiant(e). Moi, je suis Oh, you're a student. Me, I'm a teacher, an
professeur, professeur d'anglais. English teacher.
Noami Ah, vous êtes professeur d'anglais ? Oh, you're an English teacher? You speak
Vous parlez anglais ? English?
Dominique Oui. Et vous parlez français ? Yes. And you speak French?
Noami Oui. Un petit peu. Yes. a little bit.
Dominique OK. Je vais chez moi maintenant. OK. I am going home now.
Noami OK. Moi aussi. Au revoir. Bonne OK. Me too. Good-bye. Have a nice day.
journée.
Dominique Au revoir. Bonne journée. Good-bye. Have a nice day.