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How to Say ‘What is your name?’ in German

Wie heißt du?

vee heyst doo

[vee heyst doo]

💬 Usage Tip: German questions like this often keep the verb in second place: [Wie heißt du?], literally "How are you called?" You can reuse that pattern with [Wie heißt ihr?] or [Wie heißen Sie?].

🇩🇪 In Germany: [Wie heißt du?] is informal and can feel direct with a stranger. In a bar it may be fine once you've already started chatting, but opening with it can sound a bit abrupt.

Phrase Breakdown

Wie

[vee]

How

Used to ask questions about the manner or state of something.

Example

Wie heißt du?

What is your name?

heißt

[heyst]

Are called

Used to ask or state someone's name.

Example

Wie heißt du?

What is your name?

du

[doo]

You

Informal singular pronoun for addressing one person.

Example

Wie heißt du?

What is your name?

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