How to Give Your Name

Learn how to give your name

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can Do German by GermanPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to give your name in German.

For example, "My name is Aylin."

Ich heiße Aylin.

Two passengers, Aylin Ahrens and Marvin Maas , are seated next to each other on a plane to Germany.

Before you hear their conversation, let’s preview some of its key components.

Hallo.

"hello"

Hallo.

Freut mich

"Nice to meet you."

Freut mich.

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Aylin's response.

Note: the speakers in this conversation use informal German.

Ready?

Ich bin Marvin. Und du?

Ich heiße Aylin.

Once more with the English translation.

Ich bin Marvin. Und du?

"I'm Marvin. And you?"

Ich heiße Aylin.

"My name is Aylin."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Aylin introduces herself?

"My name is Aylin."

Ich heiße Aylin.

First is ich, "I." Ich. Ich.

Next is bin, "am," as in "I am." Bin. Bin.

Bin is from the verb sein, meaning "to be." Sein.

Next is the name, Marvin. "Marvin." Marvin. Marvin.

Together, it’s Ich bin Marvin, "I am Marvin," or "I’m Marvin". Ich bin Marvin.

Note: When introducing himself, Marvin uses only his given name. In Germany, this is considered an offer to use informal language.

Next is Und du? Meaning "And you?"

First is und, "And." Und. Und.

Next is du, "you," when using informal German. Du. Du.

Together it's Und du? "And you?" Und du?

All together it's Ich bin Marvin. Und du? "I'm Marvin. And you?"

Ich bin Marvin. Und du?

Now let’s take a closer look at Aylin ’s response.

Do you remember how Aylin says

"My name is Aylin."

Ich heiße Aylin.

First is Ich, "I." Ich.

Next is heiße, "I am called," as in "I’m called." Heiße. Heiße.

Heiße is from the verb heißen, "to be called." Heißen.

Together it's ich heiße, literally meaning "I am called… " but it translates as "my name is…." Ich heiße.

After this is the name Aylin. Aylin. Aylin.

All together it’s Ich heiße Aylin. "My name is Aylin." Ich heiße Aylin.

Note: Aylin replies with her given name giving Marvin a signal that she agrees to use informal language.

All together it's Ich heiße Aylin. "My name is Aylin."

Ich heiße Aylin.

The pattern is

Ich heiße NAME.

"My name is NAME."

Ich heiße NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the NAME placeholder with your name.

Note: Use this pattern with your given name or your given name and surname.

Imagine you’re Arnold Ahrens. In German, Arnold. Arnold. Arnold.

Say

"My name is Arnold."

Ready?

Ich heiße Arnold.

"My name is Arnold."

Ich heiße Arnold.

In German there are both informal and formal ways of speaking. What you use depends on whom you’re speaking with.

Formal language is called siezen, because you use the formal word for "you," which is Sie. This is usually used with strangers or with people who are more senior than yourself. It’s also common in business settings.

Informal language is called duzen because you use the informal word for "you," which is du.

According to German etiquette, the older person should be the one to initiate the switch to informal language. In our example, Marvin and Aylin are similar in age, so they use informal language to start.

During an exchange of self-introductions, you might hear Freut mich, a short way to say "Nice to meet you."

Freut mich is from the expression Es freut mich, Sie kennenzulernen, literally meaning "It pleases me to become acquainted with you," but translates as "Nice to meet you."

Again, the key pattern is

Ich heiße NAME.

"My name is NAME."

Ich heiße NAME.

Let's look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Ich bin Marvin.

"I'm Marvin."

Ich bin Marvin.

Ich heiße Aylin.

"My name is Aylin."

Ich heiße Aylin.

Hallo! Ich heiße Arnold.

"Hello! My name is Arnold."

Hallo! Ich heiße Arnold.

Freut mich. Ich bin Katrin.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Katrin."

Freut mich. Ich bin Katrin.

Mein Name ist Finja Fischer.

"My name is Finja Fischer."

Mein Name ist Finja Fischer.

Did you notice how the last speaker used a different pattern?

Mein Name ist Finja Fischer.

"My name is Finja Fischer."

Mein Name ist Finja Fischer.

This pattern uses the phrase, Mein Name ist, which literally means "My name is." Mein Name ist.

First is mein, "my." Mein. Mein.

After this is Name, "name." Name. Name.

Next is ist, "is," as in "My name is." Ist. Ist.

Note, ist is from the verb sein. "To be." Sein.

Next is the name Finja Fischer. "Finja Fischer." Finja Fischer. Finja Fischer.

All together, Mein Name ist Finja Fischer. "My name is Finja Fischer."

Mein Name ist Finja Fischer.

The pattern is

Mein Name ist NAME.

"My name is NAME."

This pattern can be used with either a given name, surname or full name.

You should be aware of this pattern, but you won’t need it for this lesson.

Let's review the key vocabulary.

Hallo.

"Hello."

Hallo.

Freut mich.

"Nice to meet you."

Freut mich.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speakers, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember the informal way to say "you?"

Du.

And how to say "And you?"

Und du?

Do you remember the German pronunciation of Marvin's name?

Marvin.

And how to say "I?"

Ich.

Do you remember how Marvin Maas says,

"I'm Marvin."

Ich bin Marvin.

Do you remember the German pronunciation of Aylin's name?

Aylin.

And do you remember how Aylin Ahrens says,

"My name is Aylin," literally, "I’m called Aylin."

Ich heiße Aylin.

Do you remember how to say

"Nice to meet you."

Freut mich.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Arnold. Arnold.

Respond by saying, "I’m Arnold."

Ready?

Ich bin Marvin. Und du?

Ich heiße Arnold.

Listen again and repeat.

Ich heiße Arnold.

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Finja. Finja.

Include "Nice to meet you."

Ready?

Ich bin Marvin. Und du?

Freut mich. Ich heiße Finja.

Listen again and repeat.

Freut mich. Ich heiße Finja.

Let's try one more.

Imagine you're Katrin. Katrin.

Introduce yourself with the Ich bin pattern, and then prompt your partner with "And you?"

Ready?

Ich bin Katrin. Und du?

Ich heiße Marvin.

Listen again and repeat.

Ich bin Katrin. Und du?

Well Done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to give your name in German. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

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Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

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