Whether you’re planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, trying to connect with new friends, or just eager to pick up a new skill, learning the basics of Spanish can be incredibly rewarding. Today, we’re going to focus on two fundamental questions: ‘‘what’s your name’ and ‘where are you from’ in Spanish.
These are essential phrases that can help you navigate social interactions and start conversations with ease. Don’t forget to listen to the podcast too so you get to know the pronunciation of the phrases and get the chance to practice with Mark and Cara.
How to ask ‘what’s your name’ in Spanish
When you meet someone for the first time, it’s polite to ask their name. In Spanish, you have a couple of ways to do this, depending on the formality of the situation.
Informal phrase
The informal way to say ‘What is your name?’ in Spanish is ¿Cómo te llamas? Use this version when you are speaking to someone of a similar age or when you’re in a casual context.
Formal phrase
The formal version of ‘What is your name?’ in Spanish is ¿Cómo se llama? It’s used when addressing someone you don’t know well, someone older, or in a formal setting to show respect.
Saying ‘my name is’ in Spanish
Knowing how to say ‘my name is’ in Spanish is a great tool in your language arsenal, showing politeness and personal engagement.
There are different ways to say it, but the main one is Me llamo… followed by your name. This phrase, is a great tool in your language arsenal, showing politeness and personal engagement.
We may also use Mi nombre es… to say my name is in Spanish, but Me llamo is the most common phrase.
How to ask ‘where are you from’ in Spanish
Moving beyond names, knowing how to ask and answer ‘where are you from’ in Spanish is crucial. It’s not just about geography; it’s a great way to make a personal connection and learn more about others. Like before, there are two ways of asking where someone is from in Spanish.
¿De dónde eres?
This is the informal way to ask ‘where are you from’ in Spanish. Use this with people who are of a similar age or in a casual setting.
¿De dónde es usted?
This one on the other hand is the formal version of the question. It is appropriate when you are speaking to someone older, in a formal situation, or when you want to show respect.
How to answer the question ‘where are you from’ in Spanish
If someone asks you ‘where are you from’ in Spanish using a formal or informal phrase, you can respond with Soy de… followed by the name of your country. For example:
- Soy de Inglaterra. I am from England.
- Soy de Estados Unidos. I am from the United States.
- Soy de Francia. I am from France.
- Soy de Irlanda. I am from Ireland.
- Soy de Escocia. I am from Scotland.
- Soy de Australia. I am from Australia.
This straightforward structure not only answers the question but also keeps the conversation flowing.
That’s all for this blog article!
Saying ’my name is’ in Spanish and asking ‘where are you from’ in Spanish are great starting points for any beginner. Practising these phrases will help you build confidence in your Spanish-speaking abilities. Remember, the key to learning a new language is repetition and real-world usage.
Try these phrases out the next time you meet a Spanish speaker, and see how much it enhances your interaction! If you would like to know more nationalities in Spanish and keep improving your speaking, don’t miss the next blog article! ¡Vamos!
Happy Coffee Breaking!
39 thoughts on “Learning the basics: asking ‘what’s your name?’ and ‘where are you from?’ in Spanish”
What a wonderful resource! I took 6 years of Spanish in school and graduated with a meager ability with the language. This podcasts are organized in a much more effective way!
I purchased the premium membership and downloaded everything in CBS1 with itunes, started working my way through it…so far so good.
Have to say though I didn’t really like the relaxation/hypnosis format for the extra top-off on lesson 03 (only available to members). Can it be re-mastered in a more normal format?
thanks!
-gary
Gary, we can’t remaster these lessons in a different format. However, only a few of the extra lessons use the relaxation format – others use music, and as the course progresses, the style changes. Thanks for your comments so far.
And @Katie, thanks for your comments! We hope you continue to enjoy the shows.
I became a platinum member yesterday but cant work out how to download the lesson guides. I have the worksheet for lessons 1 – 5 and the answer sheet and the word list but not the lesson guides Please help me find where and how to download them Thanks Bev
is there anyway i can download these and out them on my mp3 player.
when i click the downlaod it just opens up windows media player.
please help
I’ll second this: is there anyway i can download these and out them on my mp3 player.
when i click the downlaod it just opens up windows media player.
please help
Just right-click on the “download” link underneath the podcast player and you can download the episode to disc and then put them on your mp3 player using whatever software or process you normally use to transfer mp3 files.
it is quite interesting. I just learn three lessons, but it looks easy to learn as i could understand easily.
This is so cool i use to be rubbish at spanish but now i got a star in my gcse!!!! all hail this website!!loool
Hello, first of all, thank you so much for this, I am learning spanich so easy this way 🙂
I would like to read wile I listen, is there anyway I can see the text as I listen to it? or at least se the words listed to easear remember them.
Hi Kenneth. We’re glad you’re enjoying the course. All the texts and notes on our lessons are available as part of the premium version of Coffee Break Spanish. Prices start at £27 GBP for the notes for all 40 lessons of level 1. FInd out more on the Coffee Break Spanish information page. Don’t forget our winter sale is on too so you can get 25% off the price using coupon code holidays09. Hope this helps. MVH, Mark
excellent pace and amount of repetition. no need for regular pausing and rewind. nice to know where usted comes from.
loving every bit of it..done 3 lessons..can’t find the 4th one..please help..
@richie – Thanks!
@dhruv – you can access all our lessons via our Step-by-Step Guide:
https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/2009/08/introducing-coffee-break-spanish-step-by-step/
hola it is brilliant now i can talk to my granddad because he is spanish
i give it 10 out of 10
I can not understand that there are two different ways to say my name in Spanish: mi nombre es and cormo de Jamo?
@Mary you can say ‘mi nombre es…’ – literally ‘my name is…’ and you can also use ‘me llamo…’ which literally means ‘I am called…’, so there are two different ways to say the same thing in English too.
lovely i learnt so much so far i want more please
Brilliant course but why have you left out Wales?
How do i say i love you in spanish. i really need help
This episode was absolutely great but I think that since I am only 12 I would find it easier to loearn if they had a video showing pictures and colours etc. Soy Keniata Donde Eres?
best wishes from Germany and feliz navidad y un prospero ano nuevo para todos! It’s nice to fresh up my English by learning the spanish language. Queremos mas, por favor!
I’m 64yrs old and trying to learn a little spanish as my grandaughter, son and daughter-in-law live in Peru. This a lovely way to learn.
‘Usted’ in Spanish actually has Arabic origin. It is ‘ustaz’ which means ‘Mr.’ and as ‘usted’ in Spanish is used as the formal way to say ‘you’ to someone who is older or being polite with a stranger, then ‘Mr.’ is better than just ‘you’.
I agree with you ! 🙂
I think that “Usted” is an abbreviation of “Vuestra Merced”:
Vst ..ed.
I am only 10 but understand these lessons completely!!!!!!!
I use to take spanish in 4th grade, but have learned more
spanish than I did in that whole year of spanish class.
THANKYOU COFFE BREAK SPANISH.
P.S- I don’t take coffe breaks but I do take hot chocolate
breaks.
I think learning a language through podcasts is the most ludicrous idea ever!! Especially if hosts are not speaking in your target language for the most part of the podcast!
Thanks for your comment. The feedback from our listeners suggests that teaching Spanish through the medium of English is exactly what they want. The amount of motivation required to listen to a solid burst of Spanish, even for a couple of minutes is completely different to the kind of ‘radio show’ you can listen to while having a coffee. There is lots of content available in the style you suggest, so we’ve tried to produce something a bit different – and it seems to be enjoyed by our listeners.
Why isn’t the female’s pronunciation of the word “me” not being corrected??? It’s driving me nuts!!!
To those who don’t know what I’m referring to, the pronunciation of “me” should be “may”, not “me”.
And, she’s using a hard ‘t’ when she should pronounce it softly like a barely audible ‘d’. “Y tu” should be spoken like “EE doo”. Don’t speak the ‘t’ through your teeth. Use your tongue instead, make a small pucker with your lips and let your tongue quickly hit the inside of your gums above your front teeth.
Hi Bella. Thanks for your comments. However as we explain throughout the Coffee Break Spanish course, Kara is a learner, and like all learners she makes mistakes and develops her accent and confidence in the language gradually. Corrections and advice are given in a gradual way throughout the course: if she makes mistakes in the early lessons sometimes these mistakes are “let through” if they do not actually affect comprehension. In later lessons we spend time teaching the best way to pronounce a ‘t’ and ‘d’, etc. You should also remember that pronunciation changes in different parts of the Spanish speaking world, so some letters are softer or harder depending on where they’re spoken.
I have had so much fun listening to this podcast. I have been using it to refresh my Spanish. While I understand Bella’s comments (I notice I picked up on the same things and Ojos!) I have to admit that it has made me go back and practice over and over my own accent.
Even after having lived in Spain for a year I realized I would never be able to say certain words perfectly the “Spanish” way, but I would get by over here in the States 🙂
Mark, I have always had trouble with verb tenses and you have made them much easier to understand. Thanks so much! After 10 years I need more practice and I hope to continue practicing with you all!
U guys are great. I got a question regarding pronunciation. in Me llamo Mark… you somehow attached e in “Me” to i in “llamo” . right? I felt like something sounded L in between but I have been told to read it like i when it is “ll”. ??? (it was like meli yamo) am I right or my ears got serious problem? 😀
so can we just attached words ending in vocal to the beginning of the next word?
muchas gracias
my instructor is from Argentina, and i have friends in Colombia. she says ll like a J in english, like “como se jhama), others use say it like a y. but i am told it is understood todos.
Podcasts are very simple and easy to understand – perfect if you’re learning Spanish for the first time! Gracias!!!
I find the lessons are well thought out. I like the flow and the idea of having 2 people talking back and forth.
A great way to learn and I<m looking forward to the next 7 lessons. Gracias
¡Gracias a ti, Michael!