introduction presentation french

How to Introduce Yourself and Others in French

Perfecting Les Présentations

• Pronunciation & Conversation
• Resources For Teachers

When you meet French speakers , you need to know how to introduce yourself and what to say when you are introduced. French can be a bit tricky when introducing yourself or others depending on whether you know the person to whom you are making the introduction(s) or even if you have had any contact with the person. In French, those circumstances all require different introductions.

Basic Introductions

French uses the verb  se présenter, not  introduire,  meaning to introduce something into something else, which translates into English as "to insert." The most basic introduction in French, then, would be:

• Je me présente. = Let me introduce myself.

Using s’appeler is the common way of introducing yourself in French. Don’t think of it as “to name oneself” because it will only confuse you. Think of it in the context of introducing your name to someone, and link the French words to that context instead of applying a literal translation, as in:

• Je m​'appelle ... = My name is...

Use je suis with people who already know your name, such as those you have already talked to on the phone or by mail but never met in person, as in:

• Je suis... =  I am...

If you don't know the person or have never spoken to him on the phone or contacted him by email or mail, use  je m’appelle,  as noted previously.

Introducing by Name

There are also distinctions between formal and informal introductions, as well as singular versus plural introductions, as noted in the tables in this and the subsequent section.

Meeting People

In French, when you are meeting people , you have to be careful about using the correct gender , as well as whether the introduction is formal or informal, as in these examples.

French Names

Nicknames — or  un surnom in French — are much less common in this Romance language than in American English, but they are not unheard of. Often, a longer first name will be shortened, such as  Caro  for Caroline or  Flo  for Florence. 

Cheek Kissing and Other Greetings

Cheek kissing  is certainly an accepted form of greeting in France, but there are strict (unwritten) social rules to follow. Cheek kissing is generally OK, for example, but not hugging. So, it's important to learn not only the words that go with cheek kissing — such as  bonjour  (hello) — but also the social norms that are expected when greeting someone in this manner. There are also other ways to say " hello " and ask " How are you? " in French.

• Kissing Hello in France: A French-English Dialogue
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• How to Ask 'How Are You' in French
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• The French Expression 'J'arrive'
• How To Say I Love You In French
• The Flaws in "Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir?"
• French Love Vocabulary
• French Vocabulary for Media and Communication
• It's Your First Day Teaching French Class: Now What?
• 'Je Suis Fini': Don't Make This Mistake in French
• Does the French Verb 'Savoir' Need the Subjunctive?
• French Present Tense
• The Top 10 French Gestures

How to give an oral presentation in French

by Lingoda Team

Published on November 18, 2016 / Updated on November 9, 2022

Eventually in life, the time will come when you will have to present in front of a group. If you are giving a speech in a foreign language like after learning French, it can be very challenging since it often adds extra insecurity to the mix. We will give you some tips on how to give an oral presentation in French:

Preparation is key. In order to succeed in your presentation, know your topic well. You will be the expert in the classroom and realizing this will boost your self-confidence and keep your nerves under control. Remember to use technology to your advantage, visual aids (maps, photos, film clips, graphs, diagrams, and charts) can enhance a presentation, but don’t rely completely on them since it might be distracting for your audience.

Pay attention to your posture, stand straight and don’t rock back and forth on your heels, or do anything that might distract from your content. Speak in a clear, audible voice, loud enough to be clearly heard in the back row.  Never, ever mumble and be confident about your research and content.

Learn languages at your pace

Tips to give an oral presentation in french.

• Structure and order . France is not an exception. Let the audience know at the start how your presentation will be structured. A brief outline will prepare them for what you are about to say.
• It’s not what you say but how you say it.  This may sound like a cliché, but it’s a general rule for life. Understand that you will probably be nervous, accept it and move on. Deep breaths will help control the speed of your speech and will give the impression that you are more confident in what you are saying. Avoid having spicy food or caffeine drinks right before and make sure your breathing pattern is normal.
• Talk! don’t read . Nobody enjoys seeing a speaker burying his or her face in a script, reading stiffly from a piece of paper. Try to talk from notes, or, if you use a written-out text, try to look down at it only occasionally. In a speech, it is crucial to be able to transmit the ideas and concepts that you have been preparing and working for so hard, so don’t worry too much about the words.
• Make eye   contact  with people seated in all parts of the room, another fundamental aspect of public speaking. Don’t be afraid of using your hands to emphasize your ideas. Sharing space with the audience can also communicate your interest in sharing your results with them, so don’t be afraid of moving around the stage to help you reach out to every corner of the room, and also cover up any nervousness you may be experiencing.
• Don’t be afraid of questions and interruptions.  Actually, this is one of the best things that can happen, because it shows that someone in the audience has engaged with what you’re saying, and, if you have the time to offer a brief response, it can actually lead to genuine progress on the point you were making. Plus, two-way conversation is always a tension-reducer.
• Always try to make an impact with your audience.  Something that they’ll remember. Finishing strong can be a good way to achieve that. Always be sure to have a compelling conclusion to your presentation in which you highlight and summarize the points you made to your audience.

Useful vocabulary for presenting in French

Introduction, expressing opinion, other expressions, ending phrases, learn french with lingoda.

You are looking for topic ideas for your French presentation? Extend your vocabulary with Lingoda! With us, you can learn French from fully qualified teachers, who will provide you with a well-rounded education, focusing not just on speech, but on reading, writing and listening as well.

With that said, one of the key benefits of learning through Lingoda is that all of our teachers are native speakers. This means that as a French language student, you will get to hear authentic French, as it is really  spoken around the world , which will prove to be beneficial when the time comes to give presentations of your own.

Lingoda’s courses offer learners complete flexibility and students can schedule as many or as few classes as they like, depending on their goals and lifestyle. The majority of classes take place in virtual classrooms, with a small number of students, although private one-to-one lessons are also available.

All of our courses are aligned to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), which is widely considered to be the gold standard of language frameworks. As students progress, they can also earn  official French certificates , which enjoy recognition from institutions worldwide.

Lingoda Team

This article was produced by one of the in-house Lingoda writers.

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LinguaJunkie.com

A very cranky language blogger dishing out brutal language tips.

How to Introduce Yourself in French in 10+ Lines + Audio

Want to speak French? Yes? Good – keep reading.

This is for those that truly want to learn the language. Here’s how you introduce yourself in French in 10 easy lines… and this might take you 2 to 3 minutes or less. You can also listen to audio by pressing the play button.

There’s also a PDF for these phrases at the end!

But if you’re JUST looking for the ONE French phrase, it’s this:

• My name is ______.
• Je m’appelle ______.

1) Bonjour, enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance.

“Hello” and “Nice to meet you” are must-know phrases. Any introduction will probably will start with these words.

• Hello, it’s nice to meet you.
• Bonjour, enchanté(e) de faire votre connaissance.

You should also listen and hear real French – Press play below. Try this Free Lesson from FrenchPod101.com (click here to visit) for the complete explanation about introducing yourself!

Press play to listen below.

Now, let’s say someone asks for your name in French.

They would say….

2) Comment t’appelles-tu?

• What’s your name?
• Comment t’appelles-tu?

3) Je m’appelle ______.

This is simple. To say “my name is” in French, you just need the phrase “Je m’appelle.” Then say your name. For example, if the name is Linguajunkie, it would be like this…

• Je m’appelle Linguajunkie.

Here’s another example:

• Je m’appelle Robert. Comment t’appelles tu ?
• My name is Robert. What’s your name?

4) Je viens de ____.

So, where are you from? America? Europe? Africa? Asia? Just stick the name of your country inside this phrase. We’ll use France as an example.

• Je viens de France .
• I’m from France .

5) J’habite à ______.

What about now – where do you live? Just fill in the blank with the country or city (if famous) into this phrase. I’ll use Paris as an example.

• J’habite à Paris .
• I live in Paris .

6) J’apprends le français depuis _____.

How long have you been learning French for? A month? A year?

• J’apprends le français depuis un an .
• I’ve been learning French for a year .

7) J’apprends le français sur _____.

Where are you learning French? At school? At home? This would be a great line to know and use when you’re introducing yourself. Here’s my example:

• J’apprends le français sur FrenchPod101.com .
• I’m learning French at FrenchPod101.com .

8) J’ai  ___  ans.

Here’s how to say how old you are in French. Just add the number in. You will want to know French numbers from 1 to 100 , so click the link to review and find out how to say your age in French.

• J’ai      ans.
• J’ai 27 ans.
• I’m 27 years old .

9) Je suis ______.

What about your position? Are you a student? Yoga teacher? Lawyer for the potato industry? Potato salesman? Super important question that people like to ask (and judge you about – Hey, I’m just a blogger! ). Just use “ani” meaning “I” and add your position.

• Je suis enseignant (e).
• I’m a teacher .

Here are some examples of other jobs:

• ingénieur – engineer
• programmeur – programmar
• infirmière – nurse
• professeur – professor
• employé de bureau – office worker/clerk
• ouvrier de société – company worker
• gérant – manager
• secrétaire – secretary
• docteur – doctor
• agent comptable – accountant
• officier de police – police officer
• pompier – firefighter
• avocat – lawyer
• cuisinier – cook

10) Un de mes passe-temps est la lecture. _____.

Now, let’s move onto personal interests – hobbies! My hobbies are languages, linguajunkieing and such. How about you? You’ll definitely need this line when introducing yourself in French.

Here’s an example to use:

• Un de mes passe-temps est la lecture.
• One of my hobbies is reading.

11) J’aime écouter de la musique.

Now, this is just another example line about your hobbies . You can use something else where.

• J’aime écouter de la musique.
• I enjoy listening to music.

So now you know how to introduce yourself in French.

Remember, if there’s only ONE phrase you’ll remember me, Lingajunkie, let it be:

If you want a French PDF lesson for this Introductions lesson, check out the link below. You can download it for free.

Let’s recap the French phrases for self-introduction:

I’m sure there’s a ton more you can say – but this is an easy, simple start that any beginner can put to use. It’s all about starting easy. Here are the French lines for your self-introduction.

See if you can introduce yourself below. Leave me a comment.

I read all comments!

Hope you enjoyed this!

– The Main Junkie

P.S. I highly recommend this for French learners. If you REALLY want to learn French with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at FrenchPod101 (click here) and start learning!

Merci,this helps alot

Wow I love this it help a lot

Merci beaucoup

merci becoup

I found this very useful as I prepare myself for the oral test thanx for this

how to say daddy in french

THANKS FOR THIS!!

merci madam

how do you say ” I am taking 6 classes this semester” ?

merci bonjour je m’appelle Malveer J’habite a mosh

um…could you write an introduction for students?????

[…] learn bonus lines for introducing yourself in French in part […]

Bonjour , enchante de faire votre connaissance. je m’appelle Gloria Ewoigbe . Je viens de Nigeria. J’ai 17 ans. J’habite ‘a England . J’apprends Francais depuis trois mois. j’apprends Francais ‘a mon Ecole, ma maison et sur French pod 101 .com un de mes passe -temps est la lecture. J’aime ecouter la Chritienne musique . J’aime Paris repas il est de’licious. Je suis une etudiante . Aussi J’aime Dieu. Et Toi? qui es -tu?

[…] This next section of French phrases contains basics you’d need for conversations. Like, how to say “yes,” “thank you,” “how are you,” or even introduce yourself in French. […]

whats up yo

Thank you for helping

It was not easy and unable to understand for a 7 class child

Very nice! I love it! It helped me a lot!!

Wow I can’t read?

agréable de vous rencontrer copains

Mille merci

Merci, C’est tres simple et utile 😉

• , April 10, 2023

Introduce Yourself In French In 7 Best Ways

Are you wondering what the best way to introduce yourself in French is? Introducing yourself to others can be complicated because a proper introduction should include your name, where you live, your job, how old you are, and often even your hobbies. And if this is your first time speaking French, you will have to take note of certain words and phrases.

In general, it is not part of French etiquette to start with an introduction without greeting the other person. After the initial greetings, you are asked basic information about yourself, and you should know the very basic phrases and words to answer appropriately. Here is a complete guide to introducing yourself in French. Keep reading!

Simple French Greetings

In French culture, you always greet other people when meeting them. Here are standard French greetings:

• Bonjour – Hello (or good morning)
• Salut – Hello (informal context, similar to “hi”)
• Bonsoir – Good evening
• Bonne nuit – Good night (typically used when leaving)
• C’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer – It’s a pleasure to meet you (formal version)
• Enchanté de faire votre connaissance – Delighted to make your acquaintance
• C’est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance – it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance

When you complete the conversation and are about to leave, you can say:

• Au revoir – Goodbye
• À bientôt – See you later

À bientôt is an informal option used only when you know a French person, or you can use the formal version au revoir, with strangers.

Remember that in French, in informal situations, you can use the word “ Tu .” However, if you are meeting others in formal situations, you should use “ Vous .” Learn more about the French basic greetings as you study along with Ling.

Best Ways To Introduce Yourself In French

In introducing yourself in French, you have to use a few words to say who you are. Typically, the first thing that others want to know is your name.

During a French introduction, you can say your name in different ways. Here are the most common:

• Je m’appelle… – I am … ( literally translates in “I am calling myself…)
• Je suis… – I am…
• Mon nom est… – My name is…
• Moi c’est… – I am… (used when the other person’s name is said first)
• Mon prénom est… – My first name is…
• Je m’appelle (name), mais je me fais appeler (name) – My name is (name), but I prefer to be called (name)
• Je me présente – I’d like to introduce myself

Note : Sometimes, you are the one who will say your name first saying your name, but there may also be times wherein you will suddenly be asked about your name and where you live and work. For example, your French friends can ask you:

• Comment vous appelez vous? – What is your name? (formal way used with strangers)
• Comment t’appelles tu? – What’s your name? (informal version)
• Quel est ton travail? – What is your job? (informal version)
• D’où venez vous? – Where are you from? (formal)
• Qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire? – What do you like to do? (used with a french friend)
• Qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire? – What do you like to do (used when you just met someone)

You could also be asked où habitez-vous? (Where do you live). This is used with a new french friend or people you don’t know. The informal version is où habites-tu?

Answering Questions During The Introductions

Learning French introductions includes answering common questions when you are asked. Typically, other people want to know basic information to relate with you and have something to talk about.

Where Do You Live – Où Habites-Tu (Vous)?

• J’habite à Paris – I live in Paris
• Je viens de Paris – I come from Paris
• Je viens de France – I come from France

What Is Your Job – Quel Est Votre (Ton) Travail?

• Je suis… – I am… (tell your profession)

You should just say your profession after Je suis without any other word. For example:

• Je suis enseignant – I am a teacher
• Je suis un pilote – I am a pilot
• Je travaille comme (or je suis) réceptionniste – I work as a receptionist

What You Like To Do – Qu’est-ce Que Vous (Tu) Aimez Faire?

• J’aime… – I like …
• Je m’intéresse à… – I am interested in…

For example, you can say:

• J’aime voyager – I like to travel
• J’aime étudier les langues étrangères – I like to study foreign languages

What Languages Do You Speak? – Quelle Langue Parles-tu (Vous)?

When you are making French friends, they may also be curious about your abilities to learn new languages and how many languages you know. So it can be part of the introduction.

• Je parle French et (other languages) – I speak French and …
• J’étudie…  – I am studying…
• J’apprends le Français depuis… – I learn French since…

How Old Are You (Quel Âge As-tu?)

It is perfectly fine to answer the following:

• J’ai (numbers of years) ans – I am (number of years)

Examples Of Introduction In French

Here are some French phrases of how you put together all the above information with a conversation partner.

• Introduce yourself in French when speaking first:
• Bonjour (or salut)! Je m’appelle (name). Comment vous appelez-vous? – Hello! My name is (name). What’s your name?
• Introduce yourself in French when you are asked your name:
• Bonjour je m’appelle (name). Et toi? – Hello! My name is Renée. And you?

You can respond:

• Bonjour! Moi c’est (name). Enchanté(e). – Hello! I’m (name). Nice to meet you.
• Introducing yourself in French in formal contexts
• Pardonnez-moi. Je me présente, (name). Enchanté(e). – Excuse me. My name is (name). I’m pleased to meet you.

Do you want to master the French language? Then, you can continue your progress by reading 50 French Adjectives and 10 Basic French Pronouns .

Learn French With Ling App

Speaking of basics, there are many French words that you will learn as you develop your skills in reading, writing, listening, or speaking. But, don’t exclude yourself from exploring Arabic, Spanish, or Japanese too. Do you want to learn more languages? Or simply know more about French? Then, you can use Ling App . It is a learning app that can help you improve your French and offers the possibility of learning 60+ languages from a mobile device or desktop.

What are you waiting for? Download Ling from App Store and Play Store for free!

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Se présenter en français | Introduce yourself in French

OuiTeach.  and French becomes easy…

 In this new French lesson, I teach you the basics of how to introduce yourself when you meet someone. You will see a short cartoon with English subtitles. Listen to it several times and repeat the sentences in order to improve your pronunciation and also to memorize correctly these new structures.  ? You can download bellow two free PDF files, one summarizing these new concepts and the otherone helping you to go further in your knowledge of French.

❤️ Please, subscribe to our channel by activating the bell. This way, every Friday you will receive a notification when the next video lesson in French is available.

With OuiTeach. French becomes easy 😉 Good luck!

Dans cette nouvelle leçon de français, je vous apprends les bases pour vous présenter quand vous rencontrez quelqu’un. Vous allez voir un petit dessin animé sous-titré en anglais. N’hésitez pas à l’écouter plusieurs fois et répétez les phrases afin d’améliorer votre prononciation et aussi afin de mémoriser correctement ces nouvelles structures. ? Vous pouvez télécharger ci-dessous gratuitement deux fichiers PDF, l’un résumant ces nouvelles notions et l’autre vous permettant d’approfondir vos connaissance en français.

❤️ Si ce n’est pas déjà fait, n’hésitez pas à vous abonner à notre chaîne en activant la cloche ainsi chaque vendredi, vous recevrez une notification pour vous avertir que la leçon vidéo suivante en français est disponible.

Avec OuiTeach. le français devient facile 😉 Bonne chance !

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• French in France
• DALF C1 & C2
• TCF for Quebec
• Online Exercises
• DELF Scolaire/Junior

DELF A1- A2 Production Orale: How to introduce yourself in french

How do you present yourself in french? What are the key french verbs and vocabulary you will need to effectively present yourself? What should you talk about? These and other questions will be covered in the following tutorial.  In addition we will listen to a sample dialogue introducing themselves.

In the Production orale section of your DELF A1 you are expected to do a guided interview or “ Entretien dirigé ” which will last about 1 minute. It entails replying to questions from the examiner about you ( se presenter) , your family, your tastes or activities, in other words personal information and relationships.

Key french verbs to use for presenting yourself

The key french verbs you need to know for this section of your exam are:

• etre  – to be  –
• habiter – to live –
• parler – to speak –
• s’appeler – to be called –
• avoir – to have –

Tips on answering questions about yourself:

Answer in full sentences and include some details where possible. Make sure to show how well you can use the past tenses, the future as well as give your opinion. Here is a break down of what you could speak about:

What is your full name : Bonjour, je m’appelle…………………………………. Where do you live : J’habite ………………………………………………….……………………………………… What is your telephone number : Mon numéro de téléphone est le …………………… When and where were you born : Je suis né le…………………………….à……………………………… How old are you : J’ai …………ans. What is your nationality: Je suis …………………………………………………… What is your civil status ( are you married, single etc) : Je suis …………………………………………… Do you have any children : J’ai ………enfants. What is your profession: Je suis …………………………………………………. What do you like to do in your free time : J’aime ………………………………………………….. J’aime ………………………………………………….. J’aime …………………………………………………..

expressions to introduce yourself

Bonjour, je m’appelle…………………………………. J’habite ………………………………………………….……………………………………… Mon numéro de téléphone est le …………………… Je suis né le…………………………….à……………………………… J’ai …………ans. Je suis …………………………………………………… Je suis …………………………………………… J’ai ………enfants.Je suis …………………………………………………. J’aime ………………………………………………….. J’aime …………………………………………………..J’aime …………………………………………………..

Sample speaking topic and questions will include:

Talk about yourself :.

• how to ask for someone’s name in french : Comment vous vous appelez?
• Quelle est votre nationalité ?
• Vous avez quel âge?
• Quelle est la date de votre anniversaire?
• Qu’est-ce que vous as fait pour fêter votre anniversaire l’année dernière?

(1) Listen to the following two audios files where two people introduce themselves

Here is a example of someone presenting themselves.

Je m’appelle Sandra, je suis americaine et je suis célibataire. J’ai 31 ans et je travaille pour une banque. Je n’ai pas d’animal. J’aimerais avoir un chien,mais mon appartement est trop petit. Mon pays préféré, c’est l’Irlande, mais pour les vacances, je préfère l’Italie. Je ne suis pas sportive mais j’aime le foot à la télé. Mon objet préféré : mon téléphone ! Il est tout le temps avec moi. J’aime lire les auteurs français, (en anglais) et japonais. J’écoute surtoutde la musique du monde et mon fi lm préféré c’est Avatar ! Je n’aime pas les grenouilles, mais j’adore la tartifl ette !  

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How to Introduce Yourself in French — Be Unforgettable!

We all want to make a great, long-lasting first impression. Just moved to France and are eager to make new local friends? Are you traveling and looking for people to practice your French with? Or maybe you’re on the hunt for a job, anxious to outshine the competition?

The beauty of the introduction is that you don’t need to be fluent to come up with a catchy script that you can use in any social occasion, be it professional or casual, in person or in writing. No matter your level of French , if you learn the right tips and tricks, you’ll make people interested and they’ll remember you.

From situational French phrases to talking about your family in French, this complete guide will reveal all the secrets and best lines to introduce yourself in French like a boss and be unforgettable!

Table of Contents

• Warm Up With a Greeting!
• How to Learn about Each Other
• Specific Introduction Lines
• How to Leave an Impression
• How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More about Introducing Yourself

1. Warm Up with a Greeting!

Before anything else, you want to follow the French etiquette and start with a greeting. That said, let’s go ahead and learn some greetings in French.

1- Bonjour or Salut?

Do you remember our short list of fail-proof greetings? Here’s how we start the conversation:

• Bonjour (“Hello” or “Good day”) can be used from morning to sundown, in almost any case. Neither too formal nor too relaxed, you cannot go wrong with it.
• Bonsoir (“Good evening”) is the night-time counterpart of bonjour and can be used professionally as well as with friends.
• Salut (“Hi”) is the casual bonjour that you use at any time of the day, with friends and peers.

2- Tu or Vous ?

French has two forms of “you.” When meeting new people, you’ll always have to figure out which one to use. Don’t worry, it’s pretty straightforward!

Vous is for formal encounters and Tu is for more casual interactions. If you meet someone for the first time, there’s a good chance you’ll use Vous , unless you’re meeting friends of friends or meeting strangers in an informal context such as a bar or a club.

Here’s a simple summary:

• Friends, peers, family, kids or teens, animals: Tu
• Anybody else: Vous (until decided otherwise by both parties)
• Whenever in doubt: Vous

3- Handshake or La Bise ?

Another tricky question: Should you shake hands or use La bise, our typical French custom of kissing on the cheeks?

• If you’ve used Salut and Tu and you’re greeting someone of the opposite sex, there’s a good chance you could go for La bise.
• Otherwise or whenever in doubt, go for a firm handshake! Remember that La bise is one of the more casual greetings in French, though common.

Make sure to check out our complete guide about “ How to Say Hello in French ” for more vocabulary and cultural insight about the subtle art of French greetings!

You can also practice your accent using our list of Common Ways to Say Hello with audio recordings on FrenchPod101 .

2. How to Learn about Each Other

Now, let’s have a look at the classic questions and answers that usually come up when you meet someone. You’ll learn not only how to answer these questions and tell about yourself, but also to inquire about the other person and learn more about them.

Most questions have two forms ( casual and formal ) while most answers simply have one form .

1- What’’s Your Name?

To give your name or ask someone’s in French, we use the verb S’appeler .

• Je m’appelle Bob (“My name is Bob”) literally means: “I call myself Bob.”
• This is the most common way to state your name. It works in both formal and casual situations.

Next, you can return the question:

When asked back, in a casual situation, you can answer:

• Moi, c’est Bob. (“I’m Bob.”)

2- Where are You From?

Unless you’ve worked hard on your accent with FrenchPod101 , your new friends will most likely guess that you’re not from France and ask you where you’re from. Here’s how:

If you’re from another country, you can answer with any of these:

• Je viens de Chine. (“I’m coming from China.”)
• Je suis Chinois. [Male] / Je suis Chinoise. [Female] (“I am Chinese.”)

If you want to state the city where you’re currently living, it would be:

• Je viens de Paris. (“I’m coming from Paris.”)
• J’habite à Paris. (“I’m living in Paris.”)

Check out our extensive list of Vocabulary for Nationalities and learn how to state where you’re from. It’s so important to learn useful contextual French phrases like this!

3- What’s Your Profession?

It’s common in France to ask about the other person’s job early in the conversation . It usually comes before what we see as more personal details, such as age, marital status, or family. If your new friend has a cool profession and you can follow-up with more questions, this can also be a great ice-breaker! Here’s what you’ll need to know about talking about your profession in French!

Possible answers are:

• Je suis étudiant(e). (“I’m a student.”)
• J’étudie la biologie. (“I’m studying biology.”)
• Je travaille dans l’informatique. (“I’m working in IT.”)
• Je suis dans la finance. (“I’m working in finance.”)
• Je suis charpentier. (“I’m a carpenter.”)

A bit of slang: Travail or Métier (“Occupation” or “Profession”) are often replaced in casual conversations with any of these slang alternatives:

• Boulot; Taf; Job

Find more job names on our list of jobs in French with translations and audio recording. And if you’re a student, you can find another list about School Subjects .

4- Tell Me about Your Family!

This isn’t likely to come up right away when meeting new people, but as you get to know more about them, this conversation topic is perfectly fine. Below you’ll find information on talking about your family in French.

Some possible answers are:

• Oui, je suis marié(e). (“Yes, I’m married.”)
• Non, je suis célibataire. (“No, I’m single.”)
• Non, je suis divorcé(e). (“No, I’m divorced.”)
• J’ai deux enfants. (“I have two kids.”)
• J’ai un petit frère et une grande soeur. (“I have a little brother and a big sister.”)

Learn more on talking about your family in French with our list of Must-know French Terms for Family Members .

5- How Old are You?

The French are a bit more demanding on politeness than other countries. For instance, it can be seen as rude or insensitive to ask a woman about her age, unless you’re talking to a young girl or woman that would obviously not shy away from the question.

In most cases, it’s absolutely fine, though. Don’t let us scare you with French etiquette! Talking about your age in French really just comes down to the information below.

You can answer with:

• J’ai 30 ans. (“I’m 30 years old.”)

As you grow older, it’s perfectly acceptable to start lying about your age. 😉

6- What are Your Hobbies?

Now that we’ve got the mundanities out of the way, let’s share more personal information by talking about our hobbies and passions in French.

You could answer virtually anything, but here are some examples:

• Je joue au tennis. (“I’m playing tennis.”)
• Je joue du piano. (“I’m playing piano.”)
• Je passe mes nuits sur HBO. (“I spend my nights on HBO.”)
• J’écris un journal de voyage. (“I’m writing a travel diary.”)

We have a vocabulary list about hobbies with translations and recordings, as well as a free PDF lesson with even more words for you to learn!

The best way to learn how to pronounce all these introduction sentences? Check our list of 10 Lines You Need for Introducing Yourself and practice your French pronunciation!

3. Specific Introduction Lines

Now that we’ve seen the most common questions and answers, let’s see how to introduce yourself with useful French phrases in more targeted situations with short conversation examples:

1- When You Travel (Meeting Friendly Locals)

• Tu voyages depuis longtemps ? (“Have you been travelling for a long time?”)
• Je voyage depuis deux mois. (“I have been travelling for two months.”)
• Tu as visité quels autres pays ? (“What other countries did you visit?”)
• Je suis allé(e) en Espagne et en Italie. (“I have been to Spain and Italy.”)

Find more vocabulary and recordings in our Travel and Traveling vocabulary lists.

2- At Work (Meeting Your Coworkers)

• Tu travailles dans quel service ? (“In which division are you working?”)
• Je travaille aux ressources humaines. (“I’m working with HR.”)
• Tu bosses sur quoi en ce moment ? (“What are you working on right now?”)
• Je viens de commencer un nouveau projet. (“I have just started working on a new project.”)

3- In a Casual Social Event (Meeting Friends, a Date)

• Tu fais quoi demain soir ? (“What are you doing tomorrow night?”)
• Je vais au cinéma avec un pote. (“I’m going to a movie with a pal.”)
• Tu as un copain ? / Tu as une copine ? (“Do you have a boyfriend / girlfriend?”)
• Non, on a rompu il y a deux semaines. (“No, we broke up two weeks ago.”)

4- Family Meetings (Meeting Your Parents-in-law)

• Vous vous êtes rencontrés comment ? (“How did you meet?”)
• J’ai rencontré Julie à l’université. (“I have met Julie at the university.”)
• Comment tu connais Bastien ? (“How do you know Bastien?”)
• On travaille ensemble. (“We work together.”)

4. How to Leave an Impression

1- Less is More!

Don’t make it all about yourself. As tempting as it is to talk about your dancing eyebrows talent, snail-watching hobby, or any of your groundbreaking achievements, try to keep it to yourself and keep some mystery alive . When someone asks something about you, you don’t have to divulge a whole chapter of your biography. Just throw some juicy teasers and play hard-to-get. It’ll make you more interesting and appealing.

In the meantime, talking less about yourself will leave you more time to inquire about the other person, ask them questions , and learn more about their culture and passions! Listen to what they have to say; don’t think about what you want to say next.

2- Show Your Interest

When meeting someone for the first time, it’s customary in France to drop a word of appreciation once you’ve learned that person’s name. This can take different forms:

• Enchanté(e) (“Delighted”) is the easiest and most common.
• Ravi(e) de vous rencontrer or Heureux / Heureuse de vous rencontrer (“Happy to meet you”)
• C’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer (“It’s a pleasure to meet you”) You can cut it down to Un plaisir de vous rencontrer (“Pleased to meet you”) or even Un plaisir (“A pleasure”).

But there are many other ways to show your interest when you greet in French:

• Je m’appelle Julie. (“My name is Julie.”)
• C’est un très joli prénom. (“It’s a really pretty name.”)
• Je suis photographe. (“I’m a photographer.”)
• Génial ! Quel genre de photos ? (“Great! What kind of photos?”)
• J’ai 40 ans. (“I’m 40 years old.”)
• Vraiment ? Tu fais beaucoup plus jeune. (“Really? You look so much younger.”)

3- Start the Conversation in French

French people love to hear French. This is partly because we’re terrible at foreign languages, but the fact is that even if you only babble a few words of French to your new local friends before switching to English, you’re likely to make a good first impression!

Whatever your level is, even if you’re a complete beginner, our advice is to always start the conversation in French. It doesn’t matter if you only know how to say Bonjour (“Hello”) or Je ne parle pas français . (“I don’t speak French.”). Starting the conversation in French will get you off to a much better start than if you open with English.

5. How FrenchPod101 Can Help You Learn More about Introducing Yourself

In this guide, you’ve learned how to introduce yourself in French, from greeting to talking about your job and passions. You’ve also seen how to learn more about them while showing your interest.

Do you feel ready to introduce yourself to your new French friends and make sure nobody ever forgets about you? How would you introduce yourself to your colleague or to a girl you like? And what would you ask?

A good exercise is to write down your presentation and tell as much as you want about you. Following this guide, you already have everything you need to write a great introduction. But if you want to go further, FrenchPod101 has plenty of free resources for you to practice your grammar and vocabulary!

Go further with MyTeacher for one-on-one guidance tailored to your needs. Practice introducing yourself to your private teacher and get personalized feedback and advice!

We hope you learned a lot of practical greetings in French, along with useful contextual French phrases to help you as you start out your travels in France. Best wishes!

About the Author: Born and bred in the rainy north of France, Cyril Danon has been bouncing off various jobs before he left everything behind to wander around the wonders of the World. Now, after quenching his wanderlust for the last few years, he’s eager to share his passion for languages.

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10 Common French phrases: How to structure a speech or talk

Whether you’re giving a presentation or simply introducing yourself to a group of people, knowing how to structure a speech or talk in French can be a valuable skill.

In this lesson, we’ll go over 10 common French phrases for structuring a speech or talk.

Bonjour à tous. (Hello, everyone.)

This phrase is used to begin a speech or talk, and to greet the audience.

Je vais parler de ___. (I’m going to talk about ___.)

This phrase is used to introduce the topic or theme of the speech or talk.

Tout d’abord, je vais ___ . (First, I’m going to ___ .)

This phrase is used to introduce the first point or topic of the speech or talk.

Ensuite, je vais ___ . (Next, I’m going to ___ .)

This phrase is used to introduce the second point or topic of the speech or talk.

Après cela, je vais ___ . (After that, I’m going to ___ .)

This phrase is used to introduce the third point or topic of the speech or talk.

Pour résumer, j’ai parlé de ___. (To summarize, I talked about ___.)

This phrase is used to summarize the main points or topics covered in the speech or talk.

En conclusion, ___. (In conclusion, ___ .)

This phrase is used to wrap up the speech or talk, and to give a final statement or message.

Merci de votre attention. (Thank you for your attention.)

This phrase is used to express gratitude to the audience for listening.

Avez-vous des questions ? (Do you have any questions?)

This phrase is used to invite the audience to ask questions or seek clarification.

Je suis à votre disposition pour répondre à vos questions. (I’m available to answer your questions.)

This phrase is used to indicate that the speaker is willing and available to answer any questions or concerns the audience may have.

Learning these common French phrases for structuring a speech or talk will help you to communicate more effectively in formal settings.

Additionally, it is helpful to learn basic French vocabulary and grammar rules to build your language skills. With practice and persistence, you’ll soon be able to deliver speeches and talks with ease in French.

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8 ways to introduce yourself in French

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.

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 _ .”

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 _ )

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.

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 _ .)

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 _ .

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.

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!

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.

– 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 pr é sente Marie. (Allow me to introduce Marie.).  

This is often followed by a brief explanation of who the person is.

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.

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 ).  

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.

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.”  

Enchant é( 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.

– 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.

– 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.)

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!

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Alysa Salzberg

Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France, for more than a decade. She has taught English and French for more than ten years, most notably as an assistante de langue vivante for L'Education Nationale. She recently published her first novel, Hearts at Dawn , a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling that takes place during the 1870 Siege of Paris. You can read about her adventures here , or feel free to stop by her website .

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Lesson 1 of French for beginners: introduce yourself in French

French lesson 1 of communication: introduce yourself in french.

Knowing how to introduce yourself is the first thing you need to learn in French. This will allow you to establish a simple first contact with a French speaker. This lesson will also be useful for the first part (guided conversation) of the DELF A1 speaking test. The video below will teach you how to simply introduce yourself in French. You will be able to greet and express your first name, your age, your nationality, the city where you live, your occupation (your profession):

Introduce yourself in French: example of a dialogue in video

Oral production and interaction activities to introduce yourself in French

Activity 1 : Using this presentation template as inspiration:

Bonjour, Je m’appelle Thomas. J’ai 26 ans. Je suis français. J’habite à Paris. Je suis professeur de français.

Introduce yourself by making a video and post your video in Flemotion's Vimeo group:  https://vimeo.com/groups/flemotion

We will select some videos to make a nice cut that we will post on our Youtube channel.

Activity 2 : With a friend, make a video using the model below and post your video in Flemotion's Vimeo group:  https://vimeo.com/groups/flemotion

Bonjour, Je m’appelle Thomas. Et toi ? Votre interlocuteur répondra : Je m’appelle (son prénom). J’ai 26 ans. Et toi ? Votre interlocuteur répondra : J’ai (son âge) ans. Je suis français. Et toi ? Votre interlocuteur répondra : Je suis (sa nationalité). J’habite à Paris. Et toi ? Votre interlocuteur répondra : J’habite à (sa ville).

Je suis professeur de français. Et toi ? Votre interlocuteur répondra : Je suis (son métier).

Written production activity to introduce yourself in French

Introduce yourself at delf a1.

During the first part (guided conversation) of the DELF A1 speaking test, the examiner will ask you questions to know your first name, your age, your nationality, the city where you live, your occupation. The video below is a very good example of the first part (guided conversation) of DELF A1 speaking test:

Once you have mastered this first French lesson for beginners “introduce yourself in French”, you can move on to the next French communication lesson:

Lesson 2 of French for beginners: introduce someone in French

You can find other communication lessons in French  by clicking here . You can also perfect your learning of the French language thanks to our:

French conjugation lessons

French grammar lessons

French vocabulary lessons

French culture lessons

DELF-DALF exams lessons

We regularly publish new content to learn French. To be kept informed of new publications, subscribe to the Youtube channel Flemotion : apprendre le français (video 100% in French but still useful for English speakers to learn French) and to the Youtube channel Learn French with Flemotion (videos with explanations in English) and to the Facebook page Flemotion : apprendre le français .

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The Complete Guide to Introducing Yourself in French

When you meet a French speaker for the first time, it’s important to make a good first impression by properly introducing yourself in French - the locals will really appreciate it! So, without further ado here’s the complete guide to introducing yourself in French!

One phrase that you might need when meeting people is je me présente , meaning “let me introduce myself”. This is a nice introduction to your introduction.

Then, you can head into some French greetings.

Greetings, like with all conversations is how an introduction in the French language will start. A standard greeting that you can’t go wrong with is bonjour (good day). Though it translates to “good day” it is as universal as the English “hello.” Bonjour can also be used at most times of the day, and can in both formal and informal scenarios.

For more specific times of the day, you can say bon matin (good morning) or bonsoir (good evening). Bonne nuit (good night), however, is generally used to say goodbye when it’s late at night or when you’re heading to bed so best not to use this one as a greeting.

For a greeting not bound to any particular time of the day, you can use the trusted salut (hello). Lastly, if you’re talking to someone on the phone, it’s customary to answer with âllo (hello).

If someone asks you for your name, they will say comment t’appelles-tu ? (What is your name?). This is the informal option. The formal version of this question is comment vous appelez-vous ? (What is your name?).

To answer this question, begin your sentence with je m’appelle… (I call myself…) and then say your name. You could also say je suis… (I am…) and then your name.

In return, it’s always polite to ask for the other person’s name. Remember to think about whether the formal or informal version of the question is more appropriate. Alternatively, you could simply ask et tu ? (and you?) for informal situations and et vous ? (and you?) for formal situations.

Your Basic Information

Now that you’ve got the pleasantries out of the way and your conversation partner knows you by name, it’s time for them to get to know you a little better. Sharing basic information is the first step to making French friends and acquaintances!

Where are you from?

The common questions you might get asked include d’où venez-vous ? (where are you from?), or the informal version d’où viens-tu ? . This question is generally asking for your country or region of origin, but it’s also appropriate to name a major city such as New York or London.To answer this question, you can say ** je viens de…** (I am from) followed by the name of the place.

You may also get asked où habitez-vous ? (where do you live?) or the informal version où habites-tu ? . You can answer the question by saying J’habite à… (I live in…) followed by the name of the city, town or village where you’re currently living.

What do you do?

Another common topic of conversation when getting to know eachother better is asking “what do you do for work?” In French, you can say quel est ton travail ? (what is your job?) or the more formal version quel est votre travail ? To answer, you can simply say je suis… (I am) followed by the name of your job or profession. Here are some common job titles in French:

Gérant/Gérante - Manager

Enseignant/Enseignante - Teacher

Infirmier/Infirmière - Nurse

Écrivain - Writer

Peintre - Painter

Boulanger/Boulangère - Baker

Coiffeur/Coiffeuse - Hairdresser

Do you have any hobbies?

Okay, the conversation is going well, good job! You’ve nailed the basics and now you just need something interesting to talk about - your interests and hobbies!

Questions around this topic may sound like qu’est-ce que tu aimes faire ? (what do you like to do?) or the formal qu’est-ce que vous aimez faire ? . To answer this question, you can say j’aime… (I like) and then list a noun or a verb. For example, j’aime voyager, lire et étudier les langues étrangères (I like to travel, read and study foreign languages).

You could also say** je m’intéresse à…** (I am interested in) and then name a noun or two. For example, je m’intéresse à la culture française (I am interested in French culture).

To politely end the conversation (or when the conversation has come to a natural end), you can say enchanté (charmed) to indicate that you’ve been happy to meet someone. In formal contexts, c’est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance (it is a pleasure to make your acquaintaince) or c’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer (it is a pleasure to meet you) would be more appropriate.

Then, to say goodbye, you can say au revoir (goodbye) or the less formal à bientôt (see you later).

And there you have it, you have just made a nouvel ami français (new French friend)!

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How to Introduce Yourself in French

Last Updated: March 16, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Language Academia and by wikiHow staff writer, Glenn Carreau . Language Academia is a private, online language school founded by Kordilia Foxstone. Kordilia and her team specialize in teaching foreign languages and accent reduction. Language Academia offers courses in several languages, including English, Spanish, and Mandarin. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 141,007 times.

If you want to master French, it’s important to learn the basics—including how to introduce yourself. By learning just a few simple words and phrases, you can greet and get to know French speakers. You can even form cross-language friendships! This comprehensive guide will show you how to say hello, identify yourself, and share some information with your new acquaintance.

Greetings in French

• " Bonjour " is pronounced, "bohn-zhoor." The "zh" sound is pronounced like the "ge" in "deluge." The “n” is delicate, almost silent. The “r” is also delicate and pronounced with friction (like a gargling sound) in your throat.
• The “bon” in " Bonjour " means “good,” and “jour” means “day.” Put together into one word, it means “Good day.”

• " Salut " is pronounced, “Sah-loo.” The "loo" uses a subtle sound uncommon in English; it sounds like "liu" with a very soft ee sound at the beginning.

• " Bon matin " is pronounced “bohn mah-ten.” “ Bon ” is pronounced like the beginning of Bonjour , while the “tin” in matin has a soft, subtle “n” sound that is almost silent.

• " Bonsoir " is pronounced “Bohn-swahr.” Like the end of Bonjour , the “r” is soft and pronounced with a gargling sound in your throat.
• " Bonne nuit " is pronounced, “Bun nwee.” " Bonne " has more of a heavy “u” sound than " Bon ."

• An informal way to say, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” is " C’est un plaisir de faire votre reconnaissance " (pronounced, “Set uhn play-zheer duh fayr vot-ruh re-ko-nay-sans”).
• The formal version of this phrase is " C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer " (pronounced, “Set uhn play-zheer duh voo ran-con-tray”). It means, “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
• " Enchanté de faire votre connaissance " is pronounced, “An-shan-tay duh fayr vot-ruh con-nay-sahnse.”

Giving Your Name in French

• " Je m’appelle " is pronounced, “Zhuh mah-pell.” Again, the " Je " here (or the “zhuh” sound) is pronounced like the "ge" in "deluge."
• For example, a full introduction could be, “ Bonjour! Je m’appelle David. ” In that case, you’d be saying, “Good day! My name is David.”
• Tell someone if you have a preferred name. Say " Je m'appelle Alexandra, mais je me fais appeler Alex " (“Zhuh mah-pell Alexandra, may zhuh muh fay ah-pel-ay Alex.”) It means, “My name is Alexandra, but I prefer to be called Alex.”

• " Je suis " is pronounced, “Zhuh swee.”
• In a full sentence, you could say, “ Bonsoir! Je suis Alex ,” to introduce yourself.

• Finish the phrase by saying your name after " Moi c’est. " In a full sentence, you could say, “ Moi c’est Candice .”
• " Moi c’est " is pronounced, “Mwah say.” The phrase " c’est " can sound different depending on the context, which is why it sounds like “say” here, but “set” in C’est un plaisir de vous rencontrer.

• For example, you could say, “ Bonjour, je me présente. Je m’appelle Karin, ” which means, “Hello, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Karin.”
• " Je me présente " is pronounced, “Zhuh muh pray-zant.”

• "(Name) à l’appareil" is pronounced, “ah lah-par-ay.” Like other words with an “r” sound, this “r” is delicate and pronounced with friction in your throat.
• When answering the phone in French, you can also begin with the greeting " Allô ?" (Ah-low?) It means “Hello,” and it’s only used by French speakers over the phone.

Sharing Information in French

• " J'habite à " is pronounced “Zhah-beet ah.”
• Finish the phrase by naming your town or even country of origin. For example, " J'habite à New York! " means “I live in New York!”

• For example, you could say, " Je suis docteur, " which means, “I am a doctor,” or " Je suis artiste, " which means, “I am an artist.”
• If you’re in school (rather than working), talk about your main area of study by saying " J’étudie " (Zhey-too-dee), which means, “I study.” For example, " J’étudie l'écriture créative " means, “I study creative writing.”

• " J'ai (number) ans " is pronounced, “Zheh (number) ahn.” The final n is delicate and almost silent.

• " Je vous présente …" (Zhuh voo preh-zont) means “I present to you…” Say the other person’s name after this introductory phrase.
• " Voici …" (Vwuh-see…) means “Here is…” This is a more informal way to introduce someone. Like the first phrase, say the other person’s name after saying Voici.

• " Comment vous appelez-vous? " (“Co-mahnt vooz ah-play-voo?”) means “What is your name?”
• " D'où êtes-vous? " (“Doo eht-voo?”) means “Where are you from?”
• " Quel est votre profession? " (Kell ay vote-ruh pro-fess-yone?) means “What do you do for a living?”
• " Comment allez-vous? " (Co-mahnt ah-lay-voo?) means “How are you?”

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://lingvist.com/course/learn-french-online/resources/french-greetings/
• ↑ https://alpinefrenchschool.com/blog/les-salutations/
• ↑ https://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/meet.htm
• ↑ http://www.frenchtutorial.com/en/learn-french/vocabulary/introducing
• ↑ https://www.tandem.net/blog/the-complete-guide-to-introducing-yourself-in-french
• ↑ https://www.mattfrenchtutor.com/courses/vocabulary/lessons/how-to-introduce-yourself/
• ↑ https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/on-the-phone/
• ↑ https://www.mezzoguild.com/learn/french/phrases/self-introduction/

About This Article

To introduce yourself in French, start by saying, “Bonjour,” which means “Hello,” or something more specific, like "Bonsoir" for "Good evening." Then, say, “Je m'appelle," or "My name is," followed by your name. Alternatively, try saying 'Je suis," which means "I am," before your name. In casual settings, you can simply state your name after you say, “Bonjour,” and shake the person's hand. For more tips, including how to introduce someone else in French, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Introduce yourself in French

• July 4, 2019

Table of contents

The French language can be a headache, especially for beginners. So, here you are, you have launched yourself into your French learning journey. Although, one question comes in mind…Where should you start?

The answer is actually quite simple… the basics! Learning how to speak French and being able to converse with French people requires you to master the basics of dialogues. What would be the first thing that comes to your mind when you meet someone new? You greet them and you introduce yourself.

So let us now take a look at those basics.

“How do I introduce myself to French speakers?”

Well… first of all, let’s take a look at this short dialog:

«Bonjour! – Bonjour, comment allez-vous? – Je vais bien, merci, et vous? – Je vais bien, merci! »

Have you noticed anything in particular? Which words do you already know? “ Bonjour ” (hello) and “ merci ” (thank you) ? Probably. If not, there you go! Could you guess what this short dialogue was about?

Greetings, yes. Even though you don’t speak French yet, you probably have guessed the meaning of this dialogue. One of the  most important  tips that I can give you during your French learning journey, is that you should  NOT translate every word one by one , in a sentence. Why is that? 

Because French and English (or your native language) are  different languages . Of course, some words are similar or even identical (restaurant, office, important…), but they may not mean the same thing. And if they do mean the same thing, well, there’s almost no chance for you to get the exact sentence correctly if you ever happen to translate it word per word. Languages, even similar languages, have different structures that you need learn first.

How do you do it, then? Just take a step back. Look at the sentence or the paragraph. Try to find the words that you already know or recognize and take a guess. If you still don’t have a clue about what you’re reading, THEN, you can take a look into your dictionary.

But let’s go back to our greetings. “Bonjour” means “hello”. Here are other ways to say “hello” in French:

Salut = hi (informal) Coucou = hey (informal) Bonsoir = good evening

How are you?

Secondly, you may consider asking the person how they’re doing. There are several ways of asking someone how they’re doing, in French.

“Comment allez-vous?”

Lit.  How are you going?  But would mean  How are you doing? In a formal question.

“Comment vas-tu?”

Also means  How are you going?  (How are you doing?) “Allez-vous” and “vas-tu” are both coming from the verb “aller” which means  to go . Here’s how you should conjugate it:

Je vais (I go) Tu vas (You go) Il / Elle va (He / She goes) Nous allons (We go) Vous allez (You go, plural) Ils / Elles vont (They (masculine) / They (feminine) go)

“Allez-vous” is basically “vous allez”, but inverted. Same thing for “vas-tu”. The inversion is  how you ask a formal question in French . The difference between “comment allez-vous” and “comment vas-tu” lies on the pronoun used.  “Vous”  means “you”, in plural. 

However, this particular pronoun is also used during  formal situations , such as addressing someone you’ve just met, someone you don’t really know yet or simply someone  higher  in your hierarchy. This is called “le vouvoiement”, or the verb “vouvoyer”, which you can check out here in this article.

“Comment ça va?”

Lit.  How is it going? Less formal, you can hear and use this in everyday French.

Lit.  Is it going? Informal situations, everyday French.

Say your name

Thirdly, let’s take a look at how to  really  introduce yourself.

«Bonjour! – Bonjour, comment allez-vous? – Je vais bien, merci, et vous? – Je vais bien, merci!  Comment vous appelez-vous? – Je m’appelle Louis, et vous? – Enchanté, Louis! Je m’appelle Marc. – Enchanté, Marc!  »

To say your name in French, you will use :

Je m’appelle …

This literally means :  I call myself. In French, to say your name, you will have to say “ I call myself ” + your name. Unlike in English, it’s not very common to hear “mon nom est” (my name is) during introductions in French, which brings me to my first point: never translate word per word. Furthermore, here’s how you should conjugate the verb “s’appeler” (to call oneself) at the present tense :

Je m’appelle (I call myself) Tu t’appelles (You call yourself) Il / Elle s’appelle (He / She calls himself / herself) Nous nous appelons (We call ourselves) Vous vous appelez (You call yourselves  OR formal  You call yourself) Ils / Elles s’appellent (They call themselves)

Have you noticed the extra pronoun between the subject and the verb? 

Je  m’ appelle Tu  t’ appelles…

Those are called  reflexive pronouns  and they apply to  reflexive verbs  in French, but we will go further into that matter in another lesson. In addition, you’ve guessed it, “ s’appeler ” is called a  reflexive verb .

To ask for somebody’s name, you have different possibilities:

“Comment vous appelez-vous?” (How do you call yourself? – formal) “Comment t’appelles-tu?” (Same, but informal situations) “Comment tu t’appelles?” (How do you call yourself? – very informal) “Quel est votre nom?” (What is your name?) “Quel est ton nom?” (What is your name?- informal)

Some extra vocabulary :  enchanté  = nice to meet you. Lit. “thrilled” (to meet you).

Saying goodbye

Finally, the last element that you need to master is saying goodbye. There is always a  goodbye .

« Je suis enchanté de faire votre connaissance, Marc. – Moi aussi ! – Passez une bonne journée, au revoir! – Au revoir et bonne journée!  »

Translation (by context, not literal translation):

” It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marc.” ” The same goes for me! ” ” Have a nice day, goodbye! “ “Goodbye, have a nice day! “

Would you care to take a look at the vocabulary?

Passez une bonne journée / bonne journée = Have a nice day Au revoir = goodbye

Of course, here are other ways of parting ways with somebody:

Bon après-midi = Have a nice afternoon Bonne soirée = Have a nice evening Bonne nuit = Good night Ciao = bye (informal)

Bravo! You should now be able to say hello, introduce yourself and say goodbye in French. If you ever feel like sharing your thoughts, feel free to leave a comment down below and join the discussion! Until then,  au revoir et passez une bonne journée!

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First things first: What is French?

French is a Romance language spoken by 220 million speakers all over the world. Being a Romance language means it’s a language that evolved from Latin, and it has a few cousins in Europe. French shares similar grammar and vocabulary with other Romance languages such as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian. So if you speak one of those languages, you may find some aspects of French familiar.

As a speaker of English, you also have a step up. During the Middle Ages, French was spoken by English nobility, and nowadays, quite a few English words have origins in French words .

Also, learning French is extremely useful for educational and professional settings. So there are thousands—nay, perhaps  millions of resources for learning, and your options are unlimited!

On first listen, French can sound odd to English speakers: It’s a fairly melodic language punctuated by less-than-desirable-sounding nasal and glottal sounds. However, French sounds aren’t as foreign to English speakers as you might expect.

Speakers of English have relatively little difficulty with French pronunciation since a lot of the sounds are similar, but there are some trickier sounds to familiarize yourself with.

Firstly, almost all of the consonants in French can be found in English (even the relatively rare sound found in the word “re g ime”).

The one consonant that will sound different to English speakers is the French “r” sound . Take note that this is not the same “r” sound as in English, nor is it the rolled “r” in Spanish or Italian. Instead, it’s made at the back of the mouth, almost like gargling water without actually using water.

What English speakers will find most different in French pronunciation are the vowel sounds .

Some French vowels are close to English vowels, but a few, like the French “u” sound , are completely different.

Check out this YouTube playlist  to help familiarize yourself with the pronunciation of French vowels.

French has a special group of vowels called “nasal vowels.” These vowels are produced in the nasal cavity and generally occur when the vowel is preceding an “m” or “n,” as in the word vin (wine) or bon  (good). Check out this handy video for pronouncing French nasal vowels.

Now that you’ve gotten those French sounds sorted out, check out this list of the top basic (but most useful) French phrases.

These phrases can be used as greetings depending on the time of day.  Bonjour means “good day” or “hello,”  bonsoir means “good evening” and  bonne nuit means “good night.”

However, bonne nuit is really only appropriate (in France at least) when talking to somebody who’s actually getting ready to go to bed. If you want to tell somebody to have a good evening, it might be best to say bonne soirée.

This phrase means “How are you?”

Ça va bien  means “it’s going well,” and   ça va mal  means “it’s going badly.”

This phrase asks someone what their name is in a formal context.

Use this phrase to respond to the previous question. The blank is where you would say your name. For example, I would say,  Je m’appelle Michael   (My name is Michael).

Use this phrase to ask someone how old they are in a formal context.

This response means “I am [number for age] years old.” Learning how to count in French is a basic skill you’ll want to cover early on. Use this video to help you learn numbers in French.

This phrase means, “How do you say [insert English word] in French?” This can be used to ask people how to say a particular English word in French.

Literally translating as “Pardon? Once again,” use this phrase to ask someone to repeat themselves in order to better understand what they’re saying.

These two phrases mean “goodbye” and “see you soon,” respectively.

After looking at the phrases listed above, take note: Tu can mean “you” when a speaker is referring to just one person, and vous  can mean “you” when a speaker is referring to more than one person. However, there’s quite a bit more to it than that . These two words can not only denote the number of people a speaker is referring to, but vous can also be used to denote formality in French .

For example, you would use  tu to talk to someone you know well, like a close friend or family member. However, you would use  vous to talk to someone you don’t know or someone in a position of authority, such as a teacher or the president.

This means that you can say a couple of the phrases above in a different way for more casual situations:

This means “What is your name?” when speaking in an informal situation.

This means “How old are you?” when speaking in an informal situation.

So, after essential phrases, what’s next? While there may be some debate about this topic, and some questions as to whether you should immediately focus on vocabulary building with noun charts and short readings, I believe that French learners should start with verbs .

Why, you may ask? Well, in French, verbs are pretty complicated, yet they’re arguably the most important part of any language. Don’t believe me? Try creating a coherent sentence without using verbs.

In any case, the ideal place to start when it comes to verbs is actually not the verbs themselves: First, you’ll need to know personal pronouns . Personal pronouns include words such as “I” or “he” or “she.” They’re words that denote a particular person in speech.

Take a look at how to say the personal pronouns in French.

But what should I do with these personal pronouns, you ask? Well, conjugate verbs with them!

Verb conjugation is a little particular, but once you get the hang of it, it can be a fun mental exercise. In essence, verb conjugation has to do with how a verb will change form depending on which personal pronoun you put it with.

Here’s an example of conjugation with the verb parler   (to speak):

Notice that with this verb, we’ve chopped off the -er at the end of the verb  parler and added endings depending on the personal pronoun. In fact, you can do this with all verbs ending in  -er that are deemed regular .

A regular verb is one that follows a set pattern for its last two letters. One group of these verbs is  -er  verbs (such as parler ) . The two other groups of regular verbs are  -ir verbs (such as finir , meaning “to finish”) and  -re  verbs (such as vendre , meaning “to sell”).

On the other hand, there are verbs that are irregular verbs . This means that they don’t follow a set pattern, regardless of their endings. These verbs have to be memorized.

To continue familiarizing yourself with verbs, check out  more details and conjugations for French regular and irregular verbs in the present tense .

The final step to start learning French independently has little to do with the actual language. This final step is one that will last throughout your French journey: You need to develop a learning plan .

My suggestion: Whatever you do, make sure you do things that help you develop in all four of the major learning areas. These areas are speaking, reading, writing and listening .

Perhaps the most important part of learning a language is speaking (that’s how language was first used, right?). However, surprisingly, speaking is one of the most overlooked language skill areas for independent learners. So, break out of that shell, homebody, and get out there.

Find someone in your area who speaks French and practice with them. Take an in-person course. Those don’t work for you? You could try italki , an online platform that allows you to practice French (and other languages) with native speakers and other learners.

As you get further into your French language learning journey, the importance of reading real French texts will become apparent. But where does one find French texts, you ask?

Well, for starters, check out Lawless French . They have readings for learners starting at the beginning stages.

Also, you can check out Vikidia , a French Wikipedia for children aged 8 to 13. Yes, I know you probably aren’t that age, but your French reading will be at the beginning level, and this is a great place to find articles on many subjects.

The best way to practice listening skills is to listen. At first, you could start with an audio course . As you start to understand French more and more when you hear it, try listening to the language out in the wild (i.e., as everyday spoken French or in the media). Try watching a French daily news program like “Le 13 heures” or listening to  French radio .

For French immersion with language learning support, you could also try to develop your listening skills with authentic French clips—like inspiring videos and movie trailers—available on FluentU . Each video on this language learning program is accompanied by interactive subtitles that you can hover over to quickly find the meaning of a word or click on to find a definition and more examples of the term used in context.

Having good writing skills in French starts with learning about French grammar. Where to best learn French grammar? How about  a good textbook ?

But grammar doesn’t just happen overnight; grammar takes time. Don’t forget to practice all that grammatical knowledge with online quizzes.

Columbia has some great French grammar exercises, and F rançais interactif   (Interactive French) from the University of Texas is a great resource for grammar tutorials and quizzing tools.

I’ll leave you with my favorite resource: French learner, I introduce to you WordReference . WordReference is an online dictionary and verb-conjugator extraordinaire. I’ve used it almost daily throughout my French journey, and it has an app for on-the-go use.

Now, go forth and independently tackle French!

Bonne chance ! (Good luck!)

FluentU has a wide variety of great content, like interviews, documentary excerpts and web series, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native French videos with reach. With interactive captions, you can tap on any word to see an image, definition and useful examples.

For example, if you tap on the word "crois," you'll see this:

Practice and reinforce all the vocabulary you've learned in a given video with learn mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning, and play the mini-games found in our dynamic flashcards, like "fill in the blank."

All throughout, FluentU tracks the vocabulary that you’re learning and uses this information to give you a totally personalized experience. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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Translation of présentation – French–English dictionary

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(Translation of présentation from the GLOBAL French-English Dictionary © 2018 K Dictionaries Ltd)

Translation of présentation | PASSWORD French-English Dictionary

(Translation of présentation from the PASSWORD French-English Dictionary © 2014 K Dictionaries Ltd)

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Punch and Judy show

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a traditional children's entertainment in which a man, Mr Punch, argues with his wife, Judy. It was especially popular in the past as entertainment in British towns by the sea in summer.

Paying attention and listening intently: talking about concentration

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