Introducing yourself in French is an important skill. After all, chances are, at least part of the reason you’re learning French is to talk to French speakers one day, right?
But what will you say when you meet them?
Let’s look at 8 ways to introduce yourself in French, as well as some ways to introduce someone else, too.
8 ways to introduce yourself in French
Here are 8 common ways to introduce yourself in French.
The standard French introduction: Bonjour, je m’appelle _.
The most common way to introduce yourself in French is to say Bonjour, je m’appelle, followed by your name.
This can be used in most formal as well as informal situations.
As you may have noticed, there’s nothing complicated about this introduction; it literally translates to “Hello, my name is _ .”
Example:
Bonjour, je m’appelle Jean. (Hello, my name is Jean.)
The less formal standard French introduction: Salut, je m’appelle _ .
You can make the standard way of introducing yourself in French a little more informal by using Salut instead of Bonjour, with Salut, je m’appelle (Hi, my name is _ )
Example:
Salut, je m’appelle Marie. (Hi, my name is Marie.)
The “I am” standard introduction: Bonjour/Salut, je suis _ .
If you want to change it up, you can pair either Bonjour or Salut with je suis, instead of je m’appelle, followed by your name.
These two expressions are more or less equivalent and choosing to say je m’appelle or je suis is mostly just a personal preference.
Example:
Bonjour, je suis Jean. Salut, je suis Marie. (Hi, I’m Jean. Hi, I’m Marie.)
The formal French introduction: Bonjour, je me présente….
If you’re giving a speech, introducing yourself at a job interview, or in some other very formal or extremely professional situation, you may want a more formal way to introduce yourself. (Even though, in most cases, Bonjour, je m’appelle _ works perfectly fine.)
This would be: Bonjour, je me présente. Je m’appelle/Je suis _ . (Allow me to introduce myself. My name is/I’m _ .)
Example:
Bonjour, je me présente. Je m’appelle Marie.
(Hello, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Marie.)
The “And I’m…” introduction: Moi c’est _
In English, we might introduce ourselves after someone else by saying “And I’m _ .” To do this in French, you’d say Moi c’est _ .
Example:
Bonjour, je m’appelle Jean. (Hi, my name is Jean.)
Moi c’est Marie. (And I’m Marie.)
Bienvenue sur notre chaîne YouTube ! (Welcome to our YouTube channel!)
Note that, as in English, this phrase can often seem slightly informal/friendly. In a very formal context, you should probably say Et je m’appelle _ instead.
The “By the way, I’m….”: Moi c’est _.
Sometimes you’ll also see the previous example, Moi c’est _ , used to mean “By the way, I’m _ ” or “I’m _ , by the way.”
This somewhat informal usage would come in the middle of a conversation, when you realize that you haven’t introduced yourself yet. Of course, there are other ways to do this, depending on the context and vibe of the conversation. For instance, there could be a lull and you could simply use the standard introduction instead.
Example:
C’était un super match! (What a great game!)
Oui vraiment bien.(Yeah, it was really good!)
Moi c’est Jean. (I’m Jean, by the way.)
Bonjour Jean, je m’appelle Marie. (Hello Jean, I’m Marie.)
The radio or TV introduction: Ici _
If you watch a French news broadcast or listen to the radio in French, you may hear a reporter say Ici followed by their name. This roughly translates to “This is…”
Note that this introduction is only used in this context, so unfortunately, you shouldn’t try to adopt it in real life. But if you’re ever reporting for a French newscast, this is the one to use!
Example:
Ici Marie Dupont, en direct de Paris. (This is Marie Dupont, reporting live from Paris.)
The phone-only introduction: _ à l’appareil.
Most of the time, a French person will use a standard introduction when introducing themself over the phone. But in some cases, especially if you called to speak to them, you might hear: [Name] à l’appareil.
This translates to “ _ here” or “ _ speaking.”
This introduction is typically used in formal business situations, especially if the line has been transferred. Sometimes you may also hear it if a business contact is calling you back, or, very rarely, if a business contact is calling you in general.
But when it comes to making phone calls in everyday life in French, you normally would just use a standard introduction, so this is primarily one to be familiar with but not necessarily use.
Example:
–Bonjour, je voudrais parler avec Jean Martin. (Hello, I’d like to speak to Jean Martin.)
–Un instant, je vous mets en ligne avec Monsieur Martin. (One moment, I’ll connect you to Monsieur Martin.)
–Bonjour, Jean Martin à l’appareil. (Hello, Jean Martin speaking.)
How to introduce someone else in French
Now you know how to introduce yourself in French. But if you’re wondering how to introduce someone else in French, here are a few common options:
The formal way to introduce someone else: Je vous présente _ /Je te présente _
Je vous présente _ /Je te présente _ means “Allow me to introduce _ ”
Note that this phrase depends on whether you use vous or tu with the person you’re talking to.
Example: Je vous présente Marie. (Allow me to introduce Marie.).
This is often followed by a brief explanation of who the person is.
Example:
Je vous présente Marie, ma collaboratrice. (Allow me to introduce Marie, my business partner.)
The informal way to introduce someone else: Voici _
In a general or informal context, you can introduce someone else by saying Voici (This is), followed by their name. For instance: Voici Jean. (This is Jean.)
This phrase is often followed by some explanation of who the person is.
Example:
Voici Jean, mon meilleur ami. (This is my best friend Jean.)
“Over there” introductions
You may find yourself introducing someone at a distance or talking about a new person in French. There are many ways to do this, but here are two common options.
- Ça, c’est _ (That person there is ).
Example:
Ça, c’est Jean. (That person there is Jean.)
Note that this phrase can be followed with additional information. For instance:
Ça, c’est Marie. Elle est française. (That person there is Marie. She’s French.)
2. Voilà _. (That’s_).
Note that this phrase doesn’t always have to be immediately followed by a name.
Examples:
Voilà Jean. (That’s Jean.)
Voilà mon frère. Il s’appelle Jean. (That’s my brother. His name is Jean.)
How to respond to an introduction in French
Depending on the situation and context, there are many ways to respond to an introduction in French.
The easiest and most typical is saying Enchanté(e), a very useful word that means “Pleased to meet you” or “A pleasure to meet you.”
Enchanté(e) can be used in formal and informal contexts.
Although it’s pronounced the same way in its masculine and feminine forms, if you’re writing it, remember to make it agree with your gender.
Example:
–Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie.
–Enchanté.
If you want to reply a little more formally, you could say Ravi(e) de faire votre connaissance (I’m pleased to meet you.)
More formal still is C’est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance. (It’s a pleasure to meet you.)
Another way to respond to a French introduction is to simply say Bonjour or Salut, followed by the person’s name. This will probably be followed by an expression of courtesy, like one of the two above, or else with some sort of information or phrase.
Example:
–Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. (Hello, I’m Marie.)
–Ravi de faire votre connaissance. Moi, c’est Jean. (I’m pleased to meet you. (And) I’m Jean.)
How to follow up an introduction in French
Often when you introduce yourself, you may need or want to add some additional details about why you’re there, who you are, etc.
Fortunately, like most French introductions, these are also fairly intuitive and basic, for the most part.
For instance, you might talk about where you’re from, how old you are, what you do for work, how you know a common acquaintance, etc.
Here are some examples:
Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je viens de Paris. (Hello, I’m Marie. I’m from Paris.)Salut, je m’appelle Marie. J’ai 25 ans. (Hi, I’m Marie. I’m 25 years old.)Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je suis médecin. (Hello, I’m Marie. I’m a doctor.)Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je travaille avec Jean. (Hello, I’m Marie. I work with Jean.)
Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je viens de Paris. (Hello, I’m Marie. I’m from Paris.)
Salut, je m’appelle Marie. J’ai 25 ans. (Hi, I’m Marie. I’m 25 years old.)
Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je suis médecin. (Hello, I’m Marie. I’m a doctor.)
Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je travaille avec Jean. (Hello, I’m Marie. I work with Jean.)
You can also follow up an introduction by asking about the other person. The easiest and most common way to do this is with the phrase Et vous ? or Et toi ?
For instance:
– Bonjour, je m’appelle Marie. Je viens de Paris. Et toi ?
(Hello, my name is Marie. I’m from Paris. And you?)
– Bonjour, Marie. Ravi de faire ta connaissance. Je m’appelle Jean. Je viens de Lyon.
(Hello, Marie.Pleased to meet you. My name is Jean. I come from Lyon.)
Three takeaways about French introductions
Although there are several common ways to introduce yourself in French, keep in mind that:
- You will almost always begin an introduction by saying Bonjour or Salut.
- You will never use the verb introduire to introduce yourself or someone else in French. As this webpage helpfully points out, that’s because the verb introduire in French means to physically put something inside of something else. That would be quite an awkward mistake!
- It’s easy to learn how to introduce yourself in French because it’s fairly intuitive and there aren’t a lot of options or variations. Just a greeting and saying what your name is, is perfectly sufficient!
How can I practice introducing myself in French?
The best way to practice introducing yourself in French is to actually do it! if you can’t travel to a French-speaking country, you can find French-speaking conversation partners in real life and, easier still, online. Conversation exchanges are often free and are a great way to meet new people and practice French.
Reading, listening to, and watching things in French is also helpful, since people and characters will often have to introduce themselves and each other.
I hope you found this introduction to French introductions helpful. Have you ever introduced yourself in French? What, if any, details about yourself did you add? Feel free to share in the comments! And feel free to introduce yourself there, too!