What Is Your Name in Spanish? Learn Basic Phrases to Ask & Answer Like a Native

If you're learning Spanish, one of the first things you'll want to know is how to ask someone their name and tell them yours. It's super practical stuff that you'll use constantly in real conversations. The best part? It's pretty straightforward once you understand the informal versus formal distinction. In this guide, I'll walk you through all the ways to ask and say your name in Spanish, when to use each phrase, and how to actually pronounce them correctly. Let's jump in.

How do you ask what is your name in Spanish

There are three main ways to ask someone their name in Spanish, and which one you use depends entirely on who you're talking to and the situation.

Here's the thing: Spanish has different levels of formality built right into the language. You wouldn't talk to your professor the same way you'd talk to your friend, and Spanish makes that distinction grammatically through the use of tú (Informal "you") and usted (Formal "you").

¿Cómo te llamas? (Informal)

This is the phrase you'll probably use most often. ¿Cómo te llamas? literally translates to "How do you call yourself?" but it means "What's your name?" in everyday English.

You use this with:

The pronunciation is: KOH-moh teh YAH-mahs

The "ll" in llamas sounds like a "y" in most Spanish-speaking regions, though in some areas of Spain it might sound closer to "ly." Don't stress too much about this. People will understand you either way.

¿Cómo se llama? (Formal)

This is the formal version of the same question. You're still asking "What's your name?" but with the respectful usted form instead of tú.

Use this phrase with:

The pronunciation is: KOH-moh seh YAH-mah

Notice the difference? "Te" becomes "se" and "llamas" becomes "llama" (Without the final "s"). That's how you know it's formal.

¿Cuál es tu nombre? (Informal, more direct)

This phrase translates more literally to "What is your name?" You'll see this less often in actual conversation, but it's perfectly correct Spanish.

The pronunciation is: KWAHL ehs too NOHM-breh

There's also a formal version: ¿Cuál es su nombre? (KWAHL ehs soo NOHM-breh), where "tu" changes to "su."

Some Spanish learners ask whether they should use "¿Qué es tu nombre?" instead. While grammatically possible, it sounds awkward to native speakers. The word cuál (Which) is preferred over qué (What) when asking for specific information like names. It's just one of those quirks of the language.

How to introduce yourself in Spanish

Once someone asks your name, you need to know how to respond. There are three main ways to say your name in Spanish, and they're all pretty interchangeable in casual conversation.

Me llamo (name)

This literally means "I call myself (name)" and it's probably the most common response you'll hear.

For example:

This response matches perfectly with the question ¿Cómo te llamas? It's like a natural call and response pattern in Spanish.

Mi nombre es (name)

This translates directly to "My name is (name)" and feels more straightforward to English speakers.

For example:

You can use this in any context, whether formal or informal. It's completely neutral.

Soy (name)

The simplest option is just "Soy (name)" which means "I am (name)."

For example:

This works great in casual situations. It's quick and natural, especially after you've already been chatting with someone.

How to say hello what is your name in Spanish

You'll rarely just walk up to someone and ask their name out of nowhere. Usually, you start with a greeting first.

A typical introduction goes like this:

Or more formally:

The complete exchange might look like:

Translation:

Notice how Sofia used "¿Y tú?" (And you?) to ask Miguel's name back. That's super common and way more natural than repeating the full question.

Related phrases for introducing yourself

Once you've exchanged names, you'll probably want to keep the conversation going. Here are some useful follow-up phrases:

These phrases naturally extend the introduction and help you practice more Spanish in real conversation.

Common mistakes to avoid

I've seen Spanish learners make the same mistakes over and over with these phrases. Here are the big ones:

Regional variations across Spanish-speaking countries

While the phrases I've covered work everywhere Spanish is spoken, you'll notice some regional preferences.

In Argentina and Uruguay, you might hear "¿Cómo te llamás?" with an accent on the final syllable. They use "vos" instead of "tú" in these countries, which changes some verb endings.

In Spain, people might add "¿Vale?" (Okay?) at the end of sentences or use "Tío/Tía" (Dude/Girl) casually when talking to friends.

In Mexico, you'll hear "Mande?" (Literally "command me?") as a polite way to say "What?" if you didn't catch someone's name.

In the Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic), the "s" at the end of words often gets dropped or softened, so "llamas" might sound more like "llama."

These differences are pretty minor when you're just asking someone's name. The phrases I've taught you will work everywhere, and people will definitely understand you.

If you want to practice these phrases with real Spanish content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and save them while watching Spanish shows or reading articles. Makes it way easier to learn from actual conversations instead of just textbook examples. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

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Watching videos may serve the purpose better than textbooks! 💻

I know that most learners' first reaction is to get a textbook for all the fundamentals. But do you know that learning greetings from YouTube may do the trick better? Real conversations feature many tones and contexts that the textbooks fail to cover. Especially with greeting phrases, which are used frequently, watching videos is a one-stop solution to learn the phrases and the tones.

Learn smarter, before learning harder.