Bonjour! 👋🏾🇫🇷
So, you've learned some everyday French words and mastered numbers from 1 to 100. Now it's time to put those words together and learn how to introduce yourself in French!
Whether you're meeting someone for the first time, travelling to a French-speaking country, attending a class, or simply practising your French, knowing how to introduce yourself is one of the first things every beginner should learn.
And don't worry, you don't need to speak perfect French to get started. Let's keep it simple!
👋🏾 1. Start With a Greeting
Before introducing yourself, you'll usually greet the person.
Bonjour
Pronunciation: bohn-joor
English Meaning: Hello/Good morning/Good day
This is one of the most useful French words you'll ever learn. You can use bonjour during the day when greeting someone.
Salut
Pronunciation: sah-loo
English Meaning: Hi/Bye
Salut is more casual and is generally used with friends, family, children, or people you know well.
🙋🏾 2. Say Your Name
One of the easiest ways to introduce yourself is:
Je m'appelle Kristina.
Pronunciation: juh mah-pel Kristina
English Meaning: My name is Kristina.
You can replace Kristina with your own name.
Je m'appelle [your name].
Pronunciation: juh mah-pel [your name].
English Meaning: My name is [your name].
You may also hear:
Comment tu t'appelles?
Pronunciation: koh-mahn too tah-pel?
English Meaning: What's your name?
This is an informal way of asking someone's name.
A more formal version is:
Comment vous appelez-vous?
Pronunciation: koh-mahn voo zah-play voo?
English Meaning: What is your name?
🌍 3. Say Where You're From
Want to tell someone you're from Jamaica?
Je viens de la Jamaïque.
Pronunciation: juh vee-ehn duh lah jah-ma-eek.
English Meaning: I'm from Jamaica.
You can also say:
Je suis jamaïcain.
Pronunciation: juh swee jah-ma-ee-kan.
English Meaning: I am Jamaican. (male)
Je suis jamaïcaine.
Pronunciation: juh swee jah-ma-ee-ken.
English Meaning: I am Jamaican. (female)
Notice that the feminine form has an extra -e at the end.
🏠 4. Say Where You Live
To say where you live, use:
J'habite en Jamaïque.
Pronunciation: jah-beet ahn jah-ma-eek.
English Meaning: I live in Jamaica.
You can replace Jamaica with another country or city.
For example:
J'habite à Kingston.
Pronunciation: jah-beet ah king-ston.
English Meaning: I live in Kingston.
J'habite à Paris.
Pronunciation: jah-beet ah pah-ree.
English Meaning: I live in Paris.
🎂 5. Say Your Age
Remember those French numbers you learned in our previous lesson? Now it's time to use them!
In French, you say "I have..." rather than "I am..." when talking about your age.
J'ai 20 ans.
Pronunciation: jay van-t-ahn.
English Meaning: I am 20 years old.
Literally, j'ai 20 ans means "I have 20 years."
Here are a few examples:
J'ai 18 ans.
Pronunciation: jay deez-weet ahn.English Meaning: I am 18 years old.
J'ai 25 ans.
Pronunciation: jay van-sank ahn.English Meaning: I am 25 years old.
J'ai 40 ans.
Pronunciation: jay kah-rahnt ahn.English Meaning: I am 40 years old.
To ask someone's age:
Quel âge as-tu?
Pronunciation: kel ahj ah-too?
English Meaning: How old are you?
A more formal version is:
Quel âge avez-vous?
Pronunciation: kel ahj ah-vay-voo?
English Meaning: How old are you?
💼 6. Tell Someone What You Do
You can also tell someone what you do for work or school.
Je suis professeur.
Pronunciation: juh swee pro-feh-sur.
English Meaning: I am a teacher.
Je suis étudiant.
Pronunciation: juh swee ay-too-dee-ahn.
English Meaning: I am a male student.
Je suis étudiante.
Pronunciation: juh swee ay-too-dee-ahnt.
English Meaning: I am a female student.
You can also simply say:
Je travaille.
Pronunciation: juh trah-vy.
English Meaning: I work.
Or:
Je travaille dans une entreprise.
Pronunciation: juh trah-vy dahn zoon ahn-truh-preez.
English Meaning: I work for a company.
❤️ 7. Tell Someone What You Like
Introducing yourself doesn't have to stop at your name and where you're from. You can tell someone a little about your interests.
J'aime la musique.
Pronunciation: jem lah moo-zeek.
English Meaning: I like music.
J'aime voyager.
Pronunciation: jem vwa-yah-jay.
English Meaning: I like travelling.
J'aime la cuisine jamaïcaine.
Pronunciation: jem lah kwee-zeen jah-ma-ee-ken.
English Meaning: I like Jamaican food.
And if you're anything like me, you might want to say:
J'aime la cuisine indienne!
Pronunciation: jem lah kwee-zeen an-dee-en.
English Meaning: I love Indian food! 😋
🤝🏾 8. Say "Nice to Meet You"
Once you've introduced yourself, it's polite to say:
Enchanté!
Pronunciation: ahn-shahn-tay!
English Meaning: Nice to meet you!
If you're female, you may see:
Enchantée!
Pronunciation: ahn-shahn-tay!
English Meaning: Nice to meet you!
The pronunciation is the same. The spelling changes depending on the speaker.
🗣️ Put It All Together
Now let's combine everything we've learned into a simple introduction.
🇫🇷 French
Bonjour! Je m'appelle Kristina. Je viens de la Jamaïque et j'habite à Kingston. J'ai 39 ans. Je travaille dans une entreprise. J'aime voyager, écouter de la musique et découvrir de nouvelles cultures. Enchantée!
🗣️ Pronunciation
Bohn-joor! Juh mah-pel Kristina. Juh vee-ehn duh lah jah-ma-eek ay jah-beet ah king-ston. Jay trahn-teh-neuf ahn. Juh trah-vy dahn zoon ahn-truh-preez. Jem vwa-yah-jay, ay-koo-tay duh lah moo-zeek ay day-koo-vreer duh noo-vel kool-toor. Ahn-shahn-tay!
🇬🇧 English
Hello! My name is Kristina. I'm from Jamaica, and I live in Kingston. I am 39 years old. I work for a company. I like travelling, listening to music, and discovering new cultures. Nice to meet you!
💬 A Simple French Conversation
Here's what a basic introduction might sound like:
🇫🇷 Marie: Bonjour! Comment tu t'appelles?
🇬🇧 Hello! What's your name?
🇫🇷 Kristina: Bonjour! Je m'appelle Kristina. Et toi?
🇬🇧 Hello! My name is Kristina. And you?
🇫🇷 Marie: Je m'appelle Marie. Tu viens d'où?
🇬🇧 My name is Marie. Where are you from?
🇫🇷 Kristina: Je viens de la Jamaïque. Et toi?
🇬🇧 I'm from Jamaica. And you?
🇫🇷 Marie: Je viens de la France. Enchantée!
🇬🇧 I'm from France. Nice to meet you!
🇫🇷 Kristina: Enchantée!
🇬🇧 Nice to meet you!
🧠 Quick Quiz
Let's see how much you've learned!
1. How do you say "My name is Sarah" in French?
A. Je suis Sarah.
B. Je m'appelle Sarah.
C. J'habite Sarah.
2. What does "Je viens de la Jamaïque" mean?
A. I live in Jamaica
B. I like Jamaica
C. I'm from Jamaica
3. How do you say "I am 30 years old"?
A. Je suis 30 ans.
B. J'ai 30 ans.
C. Je fais 30 ans.
4. What does "Enchanté(e)" mean?
A. Goodbye
B. Nice to meet you
C. See you tomorrow
5. How do you ask someone "What's your name?" informally?
A. Comment tu t'appelles?
B. Quel âge as-tu?
C. Où habites-tu?
🇯🇲🇫🇷 Your Turn!
Now it's your turn to introduce yourself in French!
Try filling in the blanks:
Bonjour! Je m'appelle __________.
Je viens de __________.
J'habite à __________.
J'ai __________ ans.
Je suis __________.
J'aime __________.
Enchanté(e)!
Don't worry about getting everything perfect. Learning a language is about practising, making mistakes, and trying again.
The more you practise saying these simple sentences, the more comfortable you'll become speaking French.
Alors, à vous de jouer! 🇫🇷
That's French for "Now it's your turn!"
Bonne chance et à bientôt! ❤️🇯🇲🇫🇷
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