How to introduce yourself in French
Let’s learn how to introduce yourself in French!
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Depending of the context, you can state your first name and last name, only your first name, or your quality.
Let’s practice!
#1 Don’t use ‘My name is…’ or ‘I am…’
In French, to introduce yourself, you don’t translate ‘My name is’ (mon nom est…). Instead when you are in a relaxed and casual settings, you just say:
Bonjour, je m’appelle + first name such as for me bonjour, je m’appelle Séverine.
Did you notice how I say ‘Jma‘, this how you want to pronounce it ‘Jma’, Jma’, ‘jmappelle‘. When you say ‘Je m’appelle’ you sound really slo-mo and sound like Mr Nobek, so remember to speak a little faster ‘Jma‘
This is your turn to to use the contraction ‘Jmapelle’.
‘Bonjour, jmapelle…’
if you are in a more formal setting, then you state your first name and last name, still using ‘Jmappelle’
When you check in at the hotel, airport, or a restaurant or appointment, then you say ‘ I am Misses or Mister + your last name such as Bonjour, je suis madame … bonjour, je suis Monsieur… Nobody really uses Miss anymore and notice how I say ‘Je suis’, you want to go fast and slur a little…Shui… Shui... Now your turn!
#2 I am from…. in French
Usually, when you introduce yourself, you add where you are from! Let’s do it!
First, in French, name of countries and cities are translated! You’ll have to make the little effort to know how to translate your country in French. I’ll recommend to go on deepl, or google translate and look it up. Make sure to play how to pronounce. You just click HERE
Now that you know how to translate the name of your country in French, you have to add one more steps!
For that, you say ‘je viens de + name of your country or city‘.
If the name of your country starts with a vowel, you drop the ‘E’ at the end of ‘DE’ such as ‘je viens d’Australie‘ or ‘Je viens d’Inde‘.
If the name of your country ends with ‘E“, then ‘je viens de‘ such as ‘Je viens de Norvège‘ or ‘Je viens de Colombie‘.
If the name of your country ends with a consonant or any other vowel than E, then you say ‘Je viens du’ for instance ‘Je viens du Canada‘ or ‘Je viens du Maroc‘
And, at last, if the name of your country is plural, then you say ‘je viens des’ such as ‘Je viens des Etats-Unis‘ or ‘Je viens des Emirats Arabes Unis‘.
#3 Stating your occupation
To state your occupation, you say ‘Je suis + your occupation‘. Unlike English, you don’t add an article. Let’s try
Je suis dentiste / Je suis assistant/assistante/ Je suis photographe / Je suis retraitée
#4 Pleased to meet you
For that, you can say brief and say ‘Enchanté’
and don’t forget to add ‘et vous ?’ the polite and formal way to ask ‘And you’ in French!
Voilà, c’est la fin de cet épisode, now you know how to introduce yourself ! Practice makes perfect! Make sure to practice on a regular basis, listen to other podcasts, and watch Youtube videos! You can do it!
You can also find this episode on Apple Podcast
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Thank you again, and please share with your friends, comment, and join the Facebook page or Instagram account!
Merci et à bientôt, Séverine
And just for fun: