Conversation Basics: Introducing Yourself

When you first meet someone, after saying hello, it is good to be able to introduce yourself. So, for those of you who have only just begun to learn French, need a refresher or are preparing for a tourist trip, this post looks at how to initiate the small talk.

One of the first things people are likely to want to know about you, is your name. There are a number of ways to ask this, as just like in English, questions in French can be structured in numerous patterns. For example, I can ask "What is your name?" or just as equally, "What's your name?", "May I ask what your name is?",  "Your name is...?" or "Your name is what?". We tend to fall into the most common mode of asking, as it sounds most natural. Wherever possible, this post tries to choose the most naturally structured question in French. 

So to ask somebody's name in French, you can use either the vous or the tu form of you, to sound formal or informal. 

The formal (for those older than yourself, to be respectful) and plural (when speaking to a group of people):

Comment vous appellez-vous?- How do you call yourself/selves?

The informal (for your peers or those younger than yourself):

Comment t'appelles tu?- How do you call yourself?

Now, the person you ask may respond with a question of their own.So to answer the question, whether it was in vous or tu form, you can reply:

Je m'appelle ........- I call myself ......

Obviously, use your own name in place of the dots!

It is worth knowing the phrase

Et toi?- and you?

which you can place after your response to ask the question back to the first person in the conversation. 

This is a very useful response because it prevents you from sounding like a parrot listening to a scratched record repeating back word for word every question that is asked of you. 

Another common question: "How are you today?" In French, the formal version looks like this:

Comment allez-vous?- How are you going? (formal)/How are you guys going? (plural)

To reply,.depending on your mood, you will hopefully want to answer:

Je vais bien- I'm fine

or

Bien, merci- Well, thanks

There are two main informal versions of "How's things?":

Comment vas-tu?- How are you?

and  

Ça-va?- Literally, is it going?

There are a few variations on Ça-va?, such as 

Ça-va bien?- It it going well? 

and

Comment ça va ?- How is it going?

To answer you can use the following:

Ça va- Fine

Ça va bien- I'm doing well

Je vais bien- I'm well/ fine

but perhaps if you are feeling a little flat and everyday you might use:

Comme ci, comme ça- Like this, like that (so-so)

or  

Pas mal- Not bad

With really good friends, you can use:

Quoi de neuf ?- What's new?   

and respond with either a story about what's been happening, or one of the following:

Rien de nouveau- no news/ nothing's new
Pas grand-chose - not much

Practice these little phrases, and before you know it, you will be in full conversational swing!