ISM Français 1: FR I -Semestre I.I.08a. Comment tu t'appelles ?

Comment tu t'appelles? (informal) =

What's your name? or literally "What do you call yourself?"

There are many ways we can ask this question:

INFORMAL (to somebody younger or your age, somebody you feel relaxed and casual with):
Comment tu t'appelles?
Comment est-ce que tu t'appelles?
Tu t'appelles comment?

FORMAL (to somebody you want to show respect - an older person, a teacher, a policeman):
Comment vous vous appelez?
Comment est-ce que vous vous appelez?
Vous vous appelez comment?

The answer is the same:
Je m'appelle Bill.

There are other ways of asking your name, depending on the situation or place. If you are at the police station or hospital they will ask you some very specific questions about your name:

POLICIER: Quel est ton nom de famille?

VINCENT: Rabaté...

POLICIER: Quel est ton prénom?

VINCENT: Vincent. Je m'appelle Vincent Rabaté.

POLICIER: Merci. Quel âge as-tu?
VINCENT: J'ai onze ans.

The policeman is using the informal "tu" form with Vincent, not because he is impolite. Vincent is 11 years old. Using "vous" to an 11 year old would not only be weird, but cold and even intimidating!

What do the words nom and prénom mean in English?

Here is the dialogue again. This time the police is interrogating an elderly woman. Watch him use the formal form:

POLICIER: Quel est votre nom de famille?

MME DESMOULINS: Desmoulins...

POLICIER: Quel est votre prénom?

MME DESMOULINS: Marie Madeleine. Je m'appelle Marie Madeleine Desmoulins.

POLICIER: Merci. Excusez moi, Madame... ...mais.... Quel âge avez-vous?

MME DESMOULINS: Mon âge? Pourquoi mon âge? C'est necessaire? Cela vous regarde, Monsieur! That's none of your business, Sir!

Why is Mme. Desmoulins angry with the police officer? Would she have been angry had the doctor asked the same question?

I guess age is a topic of conversation among high school students and younger people! In the next section we will learn how to ask somebody's age.

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