The Verb Llamarse

The verb llamarse – to call oneself is commonly used when introducing yourself or asking someone’s name. In everyday Spanish, it is used to say what a person’s name is. The verb llamarse is a reflexive verb, which means it uses reflexive pronouns such as me, te, and se. In this module, you will learn how to conjugate llamarse and how to use it when introducing yourself and meeting new people.

Lesson 1: What Llamarse Means

The verb llamarse literally means to call oneself, but it is used to talk about a person’s name.

When introducing yourself, Spanish speakers commonly say me llamo followed by their name.

Sample Sentences

Yo me llamo Carlos – My name is Carlos
Ella se llama Ana – Her name is Ana
Él se llama Miguel – His name is Miguel
Nosotros nos llamamos Pedro y Luis – Our names are Pedro and Luis
Ellos se llaman Marta y Sofía – Their names are Marta and Sofía

Lesson 2: Conjugation of Llamarse

Because llamarse is a reflexive verb, it uses reflexive pronouns that change depending on the subject.

Yo me llamo – I call myself / my name is
Tú te llamas – You call yourself / your name is
Él se llama – He calls himself / his name is
Ella se llama – She calls herself / her name is
Usted se llama – You call yourself / your name is (formal)
Nosotros nos llamamos – We call ourselves / our names are
Ellos se llaman – They call themselves / their names are
Ellas se llaman – They call themselves / their names are
Ustedes se llaman – You all call yourselves / your names are

Sample Sentences

Yo me llamo Daniel – My name is Daniel
Tú te llamas Laura – Your name is Laura
Ella se llama María – Her name is María
Nosotros nos llamamos Andrés y Diego – Our names are Andrés and Diego
Ustedes se llaman Carlos y Pedro – Your names are Carlos and Pedro

Lesson 3: Asking Someone’s Name

To ask someone’s name, Spanish commonly uses the question ¿Cómo te llamas? in informal situations.

In formal situations, you can ask ¿Cómo se llama usted?

Sample Sentences

¿Cómo te llamas? – What is your name?
Me llamo Elena – My name is Elena
¿Cómo se llama usted? – What is your name? (formal)
Se llama Roberto – His name is Roberto
Nos llamamos Marta y Julia – Our names are Marta and Julia

Lesson 4: Introducing Other People

The verb llamarse can also be used to introduce someone else.

When talking about another person, the reflexive pronoun se is used.

Sample Sentences

Ella se llama Patricia – Her name is Patricia
Él se llama Luis – His name is Luis
Mi amigo se llama Diego – My friend’s name is Diego
La profesora se llama Carmen – The teacher’s name is Carmen
Ellos se llaman Tomás y Andrés – Their names are Tomás and Andrés

End of Module Review

In this module, you learned how to use the reflexive verb llamarse to talk about names in Spanish. You practiced forms such as me llamo, te llamas, and se llama, and you learned how reflexive pronouns change depending on the subject. You also learned how to ask someone’s name with questions like ¿Cómo te llamas? and ¿Cómo se llama usted?. Understanding llamarse is essential for introducing yourself and meeting new people in Spanish.