In fact, how to pronounce your name in a foreign language is the first thing you should learn when traveling to another country. In French, the most common way to introduce yourself is to say je m'appelle (zhuh mah-pehl), followed by your name. Armed with a good self-introduction, you'll have opened the door to a positive and fun conversation!
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Method 1 of 3: Saying Your Name
Step 1. Use the most basic phrase, je m'appelle (zhuh mah-pehl), to introduce yourself in most situations
In fact, this is the most standard way of saying “my name is” in French, and is appropriate for use in a variety of communication situations. The verb appeller means "to call," so the phrase literally means "I call myself."
For example, you might say, "Bonjour! Je m'appelle Marie. Comment vous appelez-vous ?" (Hello! My name is Marie. What's your name?)
Step 2. Say moi c'est (mwah say) if you are the second person to introduce yourself
If the other person has already said his or her name, feel free to use this phrase in response. For example, you could say " moi c'est Marie," which literally means "I, it's Marie," but actually means "I'm Marie."
- For example, a young woman approaches you in a cafe. He said, "Bonjour! Je m'appelle Renée. Et toi ?" (Hello! My name is Renée. What's yours?) You can respond by saying "Bonjour! Moi c'est Marie. Enchantée." (Hello! I'm Marie, nice to meet you!)
- In more casual conversation situations, just say your name instead of saying the whole phrase. Don't worry, the other person will still understand this reaction as an act to introduce yourself, really. For example, suppose a man approaches you at a casual event held at your friend's house. He said, "Greetings! Je m'appelle Pierre." (Hi! My name is Pierre.) You can respond to this by saying, "Hello! Marc." (Hi! [I'm] Marc.)
Step 3. Tell your first name, only in casual conversation situations
The phrase mon prénom est (mohn pray-nohm ay) actually means "my first/first name is." In some situations, you may find it unnecessary to reveal your last name to strangers, or you may prefer to be called by your first name.
This phrase would be considered rude if, for example, the other person called you by your last name in a formal conversation, but you introduced yourself using that phrase because you prefer to be called by your first name. Remember, most French people prefer to call others by their last name, instead of their first name
Step 4. Inform your nickname to the other person
If you have a nickname and prefer to be called that, use the phrase je me fais appeler to convey that preference to the other person.
For example: "Je m'appelle Jonathan, mais je me fais appeler Jon." (My name is Jonathan, but just call me Jon.)
Step 5. Use appropriate ways to introduce yourself in formal conversational situations
The phrase je me presente is a more formal version of saying “my name is”. Therefore, use the phrase in more formal situations, such as when you have to say "Let me introduce myself" to the other person. Although the meaning is more formal, the phrase does not have to be accompanied by formal body language, such as bowing.
If you're at a dinner party and want to introduce yourself to someone popular or well-known, try saying " Pardonnez-moi. Je me présente Marie. Enchantée." (Excuse me, my name is Marie. Nice to meet you.)
Method 2 of 3: Asking Someone's Name
Step 1. Use the word vous (voo) when communicating in a formal conversational situation
In many cases, formal pronouns are considered more polite, and therefore more appropriate to use, than informal pronouns. In particular, these rules apply if you're chatting with an authority figure or an older person. For example, you can ask them comment vous appelez-vous (coh-moh ah-puh-lay voo).
In general, the word vous is considered more polite to use until the other person starts using the word tu. By following these rules, you won't be at risk of offending others or sounding rude to strangers
Step 2. Say the comment tu t'appelles? (coh-moh too t'ah-puh-lay) in casual conversation situations. If you're chatting with someone your age or younger than you, feel free to use the word tu which means more casually. Assess the situation wisely! If you're worried that the person you're talking to is rude, or if you're not sure that the response will be positive, don't do it!
For example, if you are chatting with small children, please use the word tu. The same word can be used if you're chatting with someone your age at a party or similar casual event
Step 3. Say et toi (ay twah) or et vous (ay voo) if you are the first to introduce yourself
If the other person has already asked your name, or if you say your name right away when you start a conversation with him, there is no need to repeat the same question in full sentences. In Indonesian, you can immediately say, "if you?", like the phrase "and you ?" in English.
For example, if you see a child who seems lost, try saying "Hello! Je m'appelle Marie, et toi ?" (Hi! My name is Marie, how about you?)
Step 4. Tell him that you are happy to have met him
After the other person says his or her name, don't forget to say a word or phrase that expresses how happy you are when you meet him or her. The most common word used is " enchanté " or " enchantée " (ahn-shahn-tay), which means "very happy."
If the other person has already admitted that they are very happy to be able to chat with you, don't say it again so it doesn't sound stiff. Instead, just say de même (deh mehm), which means "me too."
Method 3 of 3: Conducting Simple Conversation in French
Step 1. Start the conversation with a polite greeting
Chances are, you already know that the word "hello" has the French equivalent of bonjour (bohn-zhoor). The greeting is considered polite and appropriate to be said in the background of any conversation. However, in more casual situations, or situations where only people the same age or younger are involved, you can also say salute (sah-loo), which is closer to "hi" in Indonesian.
Generally, the greeting will be followed by a comment allez-vous? (coh-moh tah-lay voo), which means "How are you?" The most common response is a va bien (sah vah byang), which means "I have good news." If you want, you can also simplify the phrase by saying a va, which is close to "good" in Indonesian
Step 2. State your hometown
When traveling to another country, it's logical to tell you where you're from and it's inevitable in simple French conversations. To indicate where you are from, please say je viens de (zheh vee-ehn deh) followed by the name of the city or country where you live.
- For example, you could say je viens d'Indonesié, or "I'm from Indonesia."
- The word de can change depending on the name of the region you are from. For example, if you are from the United States, the sentence used could change to “je viens des tats-Unis”. Why is that? Since états (states, taken from “United States”) are plural, you must use the word des which is also plural. However, if you come from a country that starts with a vowel, such as Indonesia, you don't need to pronounce the 'e' in de. That's why, you just have to say je viens d'Indonesié).
- Continue the conversation by asking D'où viens-tu? or D'où venez-vous? which means "Where are you/you are from." If you wish, the phrase can be simplified by saying Et toi? or Etvous?
Step 3. Bring up work-related topics
When meeting new people, generally the topic of conversation will lead to each other's professions. To find out the profession of the interlocutor, you can ask, Qu'est-ce que vous faites? or Qu-est-ce que tu fais? which means "What is your job?" In the context of a conversation, the question is asked by someone to find out the profession or job of the interlocutor.
- In response, you can say je suis, followed by your profession. Some examples of common professions are étudiant (student), infirmière (nurse), directeur (manager), and enseignant (teacher).
- Say Et toi? or Etvous? to return the same question to the interlocutor. After the other person has given the answer, you can say Est-ce que a vous plaît? or Est-ce que a te plaît? By asking these questions, you are actually looking for information about whether or not the job is attractive in the eyes of the other person, and giving him the opportunity to tell more about his work.
Step 4. Always use polite word choice
For those of you who speak English other than Indonesian, understand that French is actually much more formal and polite than English. Therefore, when speaking in French, always show your appreciation to the other person by using the word vous, until the other person asks you to remove the word. Also, make sure you always include polite words and phrases when the moment is right.
- S'il vous plaît (see voo play) means "please." The informal version of the phrase is s'il te plaît.
- Merci (mair-see) means "thank you." If you want, you can also say merci beaucoup, which means "thank you very much." If someone says merci to you, please respond by saying de rien (deh ryang).
- Excusez-moi (ecks-cyoo-say mwhah) means "excuse me." If you want, you can also say pardon (pahr-dohn) which has a similar meaning.
- Désolé (day-soh-lay) means "sorry." In fact, either excusez-moi or pardon can also be used, depending on the context of the conversation at that time.
Step 5. Don't let a lack of foreign language skills get in the way of your desire to communicate
For beginners, it's best to tell the person you're talking to early on that you don't know enough French and want to practice that skill. After that, don't hesitate to tell the other person if there are words that you don't understand in the conversation.
- Je ne parle pas bien français (zheh neh pahrl pahs byang frahn-seh) means "I don't speak French very well."
- Je ne comprends pas (zheh neh cohm-prahng pahs) means "I don't understand."
- Pouvez-vous répéter, s'il vous plaît? has the meaning "Please repeat again."
- Parlez plus lentement, s'il vous plaît means "Please don't speak too fast."
