How do you say What is your name in Spanish?
The most common way to say “what is your name” in Spanish is ¿Cómo te llamas?. Here are the main options, when to use each, and how to pronounce them.
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¿Cómo te llamas?
KOH-moh teh YAH-mahs
Informal (tú): to a child, a friend, someone your own age.
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¿Cómo se llama usted?
KOH-moh seh YAH-mah oos-TED
Formal (usted): to an adult you do not know, a customer, an older person.
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¿Cuál es tu nombre?
kwahl es too NOHM-breh
Literally “what is your name?” Correct, but it sounds like filling in a form.
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¿Cuál es su nombre?
kwahl es soo NOHM-breh
The formal version, typical at a reception desk.
Use it in a sentence
- Hi, what’s your name?Hola, ¿cómo te llamas?
- My name is Daniel. And yours?Me llamo Daniel. ¿Y tú?
- Excuse me, what is your name? (formal)Disculpe, ¿cómo se llama usted?
- What is your dog’s name?¿Cómo se llama tu perro?
Good to know
Spanish asks “what do you call yourself?”: ¿Cómo te llamas? Avoid ¿Qué es tu nombre?, a common learner mistake.
To answer, say Me llamo Ana (my name is Ana) or simply Soy Ana (I’m Ana).
The ll in llamas sounds like the English y in most countries, and like “sh” in Argentina and Uruguay.
Then comes mucho gusto or encantado / encantada. See nice to meet you in Spanish.