Lesson 3: Introducing Yourself (tu vs vous)
Je m'appelle… — Introducing Yourself, tu vs vous & Nasal Vowels · A0 → A1 · Part 0 · Absolute Start
You will introduce yourself, ask another person's name, and greet someone you have just met. You will also learn when to say tu and when to say vous, and you will meet the four French nasal vowels — the sounds that come out through your nose.
In this lesson
- je m'appelle
- tu vs vous
- nasal vowels on an in un
- saying where you are from
Vocabulary
| French | Meaning | Say it | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je m'appelle… | My name is… | zhuh ma-pel ژُ ماپیل | Literally I call myself. Never say Je suis Ali in a first meeting; say Je m'appelle Ali. |
| Comment tu t'appelles ? | What is your name? (informal) | ko-man tü ta-pel ↗ کومان تُو تاپیل | Informal. The ü has no English or Urdu letter *. |
| Comment vous appelez-vous ? | What is your name? (formal) | ko-man voo za-play voo ↗ کومان وُو زاپلے وُو | Formal. Listen to the liaison: vous appelez links as voo-za-play. |
| moi c'est… | me, it is… / my name is… | mwa seh موا سے | A relaxed, very common way to give your name. moi is pronounced mwa. |
| enchanté | nice to meet you (man speaking) | ahn-shahn-tay آن شانتے | The en is nasal. The final é is a short ay. |
| enchantée | nice to meet you (woman speaking) | ahn-shahn-tay آن شانتے | Same sound as enchanté — only the spelling changes. A woman writes the extra e. |
| voici | here is / this is | vwa-see ووا سی | oi in French is the sound wa. Use voici to present someone or hand something over. |
| voilà | there is / there you go | vwa-la ووا لا | The à changes nothing in the sound. voilà is said vwa-la. |
| un nom | a name / surname (m) | uhn non اَن نوں | Masculine. The on is nasal — the tongue must not close the n. |
| un prénom | a first name (m) | uhn pray-non اَن پرے نوں | Masculine. Both the é and the on are new sounds from lessons 2 and 3. |
| un enfant | a child (m) | uh-n ahn-fahn اَن آن فاں | Masculine. en and an here give the SAME nasal sound. en becomes a little fahn, not a fen. |
| le pain | the bread (m) | luh pan لُہ پاں | Masculine. in gives a nasal sound, not the English word pain. The n must not be closed. |
| une main | a hand (f) | ün man اُن ماں | Feminine. ain gives the same nasal sound as in. The i is not pronounced separately. |
| un garçon | a boy (m) | uhn gar-son اَن گار سوں | Masculine. The ç makes the s sound — gar-son, not gar-kon. The on is nasal. |
| un parfum | a perfume (m) | uhn par-fun اَن پار فَن | Masculine. un and um give the fourth nasal sound — a slightly darker one. |
| un oncle | an uncle (m) | uh-n on-kluh اَن اوں کلُہ | Masculine. on is nasal. Compare with un oncle and une tante (aunt) later. |
Pronunciation
| Word | Sounds like | Slowly | How to make the sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je m'appelle | zhuh ma-pel | zhuh ... ma ... pel | The e of je is a light uh and almost disappears before m. The double l of appelle is a single l sound — ma-pel, not ma-pel-luh. Three even syllables, no stress. |
| un enfant | uh-n ahn-fahn | uhn ... ahn ... fahn | Two nasals in one phrase. The un is the darker nasal, and an is the open nasal. In both cases the tongue stays down and the air leaves through the nose. There is no n sound at the end of any of them. |
| le pain | luh pan | luh ... pan | The in here is a single nasal vowel, NOT the English word pain and not pa-in. Say an open a and let the air run through your nose. The n is never closed with the tongue. |
| un parfum | uhn par-fun | uhn ... par ... fun | un and um are the fourth nasal family — darker and rounder than in. Compare le pain (bright) with parfum (dark). The final m is never closed. |
| Comment vous appelez-vous ? | ko-man voo za-play voo ↗ | ko ... man ... voo ... za ... play ... voo | The vous and appelez link together into voo-za-play, because the silent s of vous becomes a z before a vowel. This linking is called liaison and it gets a full lesson later. |
| enchanté | ahn-shahn-tay | ahn ... shahn ... tay | Both en are the open nasal an. The ending is a short ay. Say it with a small smile — French people say it on almost every first meeting. |
The four nasal sounds are the whole point of this lesson. Put one hand flat under your nose and say bonjour, enfant, pain, parfum. If you feel warm air on your hand, you are doing it right.
Grammar
tu or vous — the choice you cannot get wrong
French has two words for you. Tu is for one person you are close to: family, friends, classmates, children. Vous is for everyone else: strangers, teachers, bosses, shopkeepers, elders — and also for any group of two or more people. The verb form changes with the pronoun, so tu t'appelles but vous vous appelez. When you are not sure, use vous. Nobody is ever offended by vous, but many people are offended by tu from a stranger.
The four nasal vowels — air through the nose
A nasal vowel is a vowel that comes out partly through your nose. In French there are four families. The most important physical rule is this: the tongue must NOT close the n or m at the end. Your tongue stays low and relaxed behind your teeth, your mouth stays open, and the air escapes through the nose. There is no n sound at the end — the n is only a spelling that tells you to make the vowel nasal. If you close it and say a real n, the word sounds wrong.
Examples
| French | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Bonjour ! Je m'appelle Ali. | Hello! My name is Ali. | bon-zhoor, zhuh ma-pel a-lee |
| Salut ! Comment tu t'appelles ? | Hi! What is your name? | sa-lü, ko-man tü ta-pel ↗ |
| Bonjour, madame. Comment vous appelez-vous ? | Hello, madam. What is your name? | bon-zhoor, ma-dam, ko-man voo za-play voo ↗ |
| Moi c'est Sara. | Me, I am Sara. | mwa seh sa-ra |
| Enchanté ! | Nice to meet you! | ahn-shahn-tay |
| Enchantée, monsieur. | Nice to meet you, sir. | ahn-shahn-tay, muh-syuh |
| Voici mon ami Ali. | This is my friend Ali. | vwa-see mon a-mee a-lee |
| Voilà, c'est mon prénom. | There you go, that is my first name. | vwa-la, seh mon pray-non |
| C'est un enfant. | It is a child. | seh tuh-n ahn-fahn |
| Voici le pain. | Here is the bread. | vwa-see luh pan |
| C'est un garçon. | It is a boy. | seh tuhn gar-son |
| Moi, c'est Amelie. Enchantée ! | Me, I am Amelie. Nice to meet you! | mwa seh a-may-lee, ahn-shahn-tay |
| Et toi ? Comment tu t'appelles ? | And you? What is your name? | ay twa ↗ , ko-man tü ta-pel ↗ |
Dialogue: First day at a language class
Notice how the teacher is always vous, while the two students use tu with each other. This is exactly how real French works in a classroom.
| French | English | Say it | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof | Bonjour ! Comment vous appelez-vous ? | Hello! What is your name? | bon-zhoor, ko-man voo za-play voo ↗ |
| Ali | Bonjour, madame. Je m'appelle Ali. | Hello, madam. My name is Ali. | bon-zhoor, ma-dam, zhuh ma-pel a-lee |
| Prof | Enchantée, Ali. Et vous ? | Nice to meet you, Ali. And you? | ahn-shahn-tay a-lee, ay voo ↗ |
| Sara | Moi, c'est Sara. Bonjour ! | Me, I am Sara. Hello! | mwa seh sa-ra, bon-zhoor |
| Prof | Enchantée, Sara. Voici un enfant, il s'appelle Adam. | Nice to meet you, Sara. Here is a child, his name is Adam. | ahn-shahn-tay sa-ra, vwa-see uh-n ahn-fahn, eel sa-pel a-dam |
| Ali | Salut, Adam ! Comment tu t'appelles ? Ah non… pardon ! | Hi, Adam! What is your name? Oh no… sorry! | sa-lü a-dam, ko-man tü ta-pel, a non, par-don |
Say it out loud
- Je m'appelle Ali. — My name is Ali. Three even syllables, then the name.
- Moi, c'est Sara. — Me, I am Sara. moi is one syllable: mwa.
- Enchanté ! — Nice to meet you! Two nasal syllables, then a short ay.
- Comment tu t'appelles ? — What is your name? (informal) Voice rises at the end.
- Comment vous appelez-vous ? — What is your name? (formal) Link the words: voo-za-play-voo.
- Voici mon ami. Voilà mon oncle. — This is my friend. There is my uncle. oi is the sound wa.
- Un enfant, le pain, une main. — A child, the bread, a hand. All three vowels are nasal — no closing n.
- C'est un garçon. C'est un parfum. — It is a boy. It is a perfume. on is bright, un is darker.
- Bonjour, madame. Je m'appelle Ali. Enchanté ! — Hello, madam. My name is Ali. Nice to meet you! Say it as one polite little speech.
Listening practice: A new student in class
Bonjour ! Comment vous appelez-vous ? Je m'appelle Nabil. Enchantée, Nabil. Et toi ? Moi, c'est Amelie. Salut, Amelie ! Voici un ami, il s'appelle Adam. Enchanté ! Au revoir, à demain !
Hello! What is your name? My name is Nabil. Nice to meet you, Nabil. And you? Me, I am Amelie. Hi, Amelie! Here is a friend, his name is Adam. Nice to meet you! Goodbye, see you tomorrow!
Questions
- What is the first person's name? Amelie / Nabil / Adam → Nabil
- Which form does the first speaker use to ask the name? tu / vous / neither → vous
- How does Amelie give her name? Je m'appelle / Moi, c'est / Enchanté → Moi, c'est
- Who is Adam? A teacher / A friend / A boy from the street → A friend
- How do they say goodbye? Au revoir, à demain ! / Merci beaucoup / Ça va bien → Au revoir, à demain !
Remember this
- Je m'appelle + name is how you give your name. Never Je suis + name.
- Comment tu t'appelles ? is informal. Comment vous appelez-vous ? is formal.
- Moi, c'est… is a relaxed, very common alternative to je m'appelle.
- enchanté (man) / enchantée (woman) — same sound, different spelling.
- tu = one close person. vous = strangers, elders, teachers, and all groups.
- When unsure, choose vous — it is always polite.
- Nasal vowels: on / an / in / un. The tongue must NEVER close the n.
- [object Object]
- oi is one sound: wa — voici = vwa-see, voilà = vwa-la.
- Recycled from lessons 1 and 2: bonjour, salut, madame, monsieur, merci, et toi, au revoir, à demain.
Common mistakes
| Instead of | Say | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Comment tu t'appelles ? (said to a teacher) | Comment vous appelez-vous ? | tu is for friends and family only. With a teacher, elder or stranger you must use vous and the vous verb form. |
| Je suis Ali (as an introduction) | Je m'appelle Ali | Je suis gives a description, like a job or a nationality. To give your name, French uses je m'appelle. |
| le pain pronounced payn with a hard n | a nasal vowel with the tongue down | Closing the n destroys the nasal vowel. Let the air pass through the nose and never touch the roof of your mouth. |
| enchanté said as en-chan-TAY with stress on the end | ahn-shahn-tay, all syllables even | French has no strong stress. Making the last syllable loud makes it sound English. |
| voici said vo-i-see | vwa-see | The letters oi in French are one sound: wa. Never say the o and the i separately. |
Practice questions
- You are meeting your friend's grandmother for the first time. How do you ask her name? Comment tu t'appelles ? / Comment vous appelez-vous ? / Ça va ? / Et toi ? — Comment vous appelez-vous ?
- Which sentence correctly gives your name? Je suis Ali appelle. / Je m'appelle Ali. / Moi appelle Ali. / Mon nom je Ali. — Je m'appelle Ali.
- A woman says nice to meet you. What does she write? enchanté / enchantée / enchantés / enchantéе — enchantée
- How many people can vous mean? Only one, always / One politely, or two and more / Only groups of friends / Only women — One politely, or two and more
- In the word enfant, what happens to the n at the end? It is a full n sound / It makes the vowel nasal and is not closed / The whole syllable is silent / It becomes an m — It makes the vowel nasal and is not closed
- Which spelling gives a nasal vowel? banane / bonjour / bateau / belle — bonjour
- Which pair sounds EXACTLY the same in French? enchanté / enchantée / un / une / pain / panne / main / ma — enchanté / enchantée
- What does voici mean? Goodbye / Here is / this is / Thank you / Please — Here is / this is
- Which is the SAFE choice when you are not sure between tu and vous? tu / vous / neither / use toi — vous
- How is garçon said? gar-kon / gar-son / gar-chon / gar-zon — gar-son
Homework (15 minutes)
1) Write a short introduction of yourself: Bonjour, je m'appelle … , enchanté. Say it out loud five times. 2) Say bonjour, enfant, pain, main, parfum with your hand under your nose and check that you feel warm air each time — that proves the sound is nasal. 3) Write two questions about names, one with tu and one with vous, and decide for each of these people which one you would use: your brother, your teacher, a shopkeeper, your classmate.
Lesson 3 of 45 · Part 0 · Absolute Start · See the full A0 → A2 roadmap · Français A0 → A2