How to Say ‘My name is’ in French
Je m'appelle
zhuh mah ah-pell
[zhuh mah ah-pell]
💬 Usage Tip: Je m'appelle literally uses m' before a vowel: me appelle becomes m'appelle. That little m' can't stand alone; you reuse it in patterns like je m'inscris.
Phrase Breakdown
Je
[zhuh]
I
The French subject pronoun for referring to yourself.
Je m'appelle Claire et je m'intéresse à la culture de votre entreprise.
My name is Claire and I’m interested in your company culture.
m'
[mah]
myself / am called
A shortened reflexive form used with appeler to say your name.
Je m'appelle Claire lors d'un salon de l'emploi.
My name is Claire at a job fair.
appelle
[ah-pell]
am called
From the verb appeler, used in the expression Je m'appelle to introduce your name.
Je m'appelle Julien quand je me présente au recruteur.
My name is Julien when I introduce myself to the recruiter.
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