How to Say ‘What's your name? (formal)’ in Spain Spanish
¿Cómo se llama usted?
KOH-moh seh YAH-mah oos-TEHD
[KOH-moh seh YAH-mah oos-TEHD]
💬 Usage Tip: Literally "how do you call yourself?", the same idea as answering me llamo "I call myself". Informal version: ¿cómo te llamas?.
Phrase Breakdown
¿Cómo se llama
KOH-moh seh YAH-mah
What is the name of
Literally 'how do you call yourself'. The 'll' in 'llama' sounds like 'y': YAH-mah. Say it in one flow: KOH-moh-seh-YAH-mah.
¿Cómo se llama tu hermano?
What's your brother's name?
Words in this phrase
Cómo
[KOH-moh]
how
Question word used to ask about the nature or manner of something.
¿Cómo describirías el ambiente de trabajo en tu empresa?
How would you describe the work environment in your company?
se
[seh]
yourself
Reflexive pronoun used with preocuparse in the polite expression no se preocupe.
No se preocupe por el tráfico.
Don't worry about the traffic.
llama
[YAH-mah]
is called
From 'llamarse'; used to say someone's name.
Mi padre se llama Juan.
My father is called Juan.
usted?
oos-TEHD
you (formal)?
'Usted' is the polite 'you', used with older people or strangers. Stress the end: oos-TEH. The final 'd' is very soft or almost silent.
¿Es usted el portero?
Are you the doorman?
Words in this phrase
usted
[oos-TEHD]
You (formal)
A formal way to address someone, typically used in formal contexts or when speaking to someone with whom you don't have a close relationship.
¿Usted estará tomando ese taxi?
Will you be taking that taxi?
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