How to Give Your Name

Learn how to give your name

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Italian by ItalianPod101.com.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to give your name in Italian.

For example, "Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Erba."

Piacere. Sono Emily Erba.

Two passengers, Emily Erba and Paolo Parisi , are seated next to each other on a plane to Italy.

Before you hear the conversation, let's learn some of its key components.

piacere

"Nice to meet you"

piacere

sono

"I am"

sono

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Emily’s response.

Ready?

Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

Once more with the English translation.

Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

"Hello. I’m Paolo Parisi. Nice to meet you."

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Erba."

Let's break down the conversation.

Do you remember how Emily Erba introduces himself?

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Erba."

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

First is the expression, piacere, meaning "a pleasure." Piacere . Piacere.

Piacere is actually a shortened version of Piacere di conoscerla, meaning "It’s a pleasure to meet you." Piacere di conoscerla.

Both Emily and Paolo use the short form, Piacere, in their introductions. This shortened version can be used in many contexts and is appropriate for both formal and informal situations.

Do you remember how Emily says,

"I'm Emily Erba."

Sono Emily Erba.

First is sono. "I am." Sono . Sono.

Note: sono is a shortened form of io sono. In Italian, io, I, is usually omitted, as it can be understood from context.

Sono is from the verb essere, meaning "to be.” Essere.

Next is the name, Emily Erba. “Emily Erba.” Emily Erba . Emily Erba.

Together, it’s Sono Emily Erba. "I’m Emily Erba."

Sono Emily Erba.

The pattern is

Sono NAME.

I'm NAME.

Sono NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the NAME placeholder with your name.

Note: This pattern requires a proper noun.

Imagine you’re Riccardo Russo. In Italian, Riccardo Russo. Riccardo Russo . Riccardo Russo.

Say

"I'm Riccardo Russo."

Ready?

Sono Riccardo Russo.

"I'm Riccardo Russo."

Sono Riccardo Russo.

Again, the key pattern is

Sono NAME.

"I'm NAME."

Sono NAME.

Let's look at some more examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Piacere, sono Paolo Parisi.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Paolo Parisi."

Piacere, sono Paolo Parisi.

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Erba."

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

Piacere, sono Riccardo Russo.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Riccardo Russo."

Piacere, sono Riccardo Russo.

Piacere, sono Felice Angelini.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Felice Angelini."

Piacere, sono Felice Angelini.

Piacere, mi chiamo Rosa Romano.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Rosa Romano."

Piacere, mi chiamo Rosa Romano.

Did you notice how the last speaker uses a different pattern?

She says,

Mi chiamo Rosa Romano. My name is Rosa Romano. Mi chiamo Rosa Romano.

This pattern uses the phrase, Mi chiamo, which literally means "Myself I call" but translates as "My name is." Mi chiamo . Mi chiamo.

First is mi, meaning “me.” Mi . Mi.

After this is chiamo, meaning “I call.” Chiamo . Chiamo.

Note: Chiamo is the shortened form of io chiamo. In Italian, io, I, is usually omitted.

Chiamo is from the verb, chiamare. “To call.” Chiamare.

Next is the name Rosa Romano. “Rosa Romano.” Rosa Romano. Rosa Romano.

All together, Mi chiamo Rosa Romano. Literally, “Myself I call Rosa Romano.” But it translates as “My name is Rosa Romano." Mi chiamo Rosa Romano.

The pattern is

Mi chiamo NAME.

My name is NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the NAME placeholder with your name.

Note: This pattern requires a proper noun.

You should be aware of this pattern, but for this lesson, we’ll use the pattern

Sono NAME.

I'm NAME.

Let's review the key vocabulary.

Buongiorno. “Hello.” Buongiorno . Buongiorno.

Let's review.

Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then repeat after the native speakers, focusing on pronunciation.

Ready?

Do you remember how to say

"Nice to meet you."

Piacere.

And the Italian pronunciation of Emily Erba’s name?

Emily Erba.

Do you remember how Emily Erba says,

“I’m Emily Erba.”

Sono Emily Erba.

And do you remember how Emily Erba says,

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily Erba."

Piacere, sono Emily Erba.

Do you remember how Paolo Parisi says,

"Hello."

Buongiorno.

Do you remember how Paolo Parisi says,

"Hello. I'm Paolo Parisi. Nice to meet you."

Paolo Parisi : Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Riccardo Russo . Riccardo Russo.

Respond to Paolo Parisi ’s self-introduction.

Ready?

Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

Piacere, sono Riccardo Russo.

Listen again and repeat.

Piacere, sono Riccardo Russo.

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Rosa Romano. Rosa Romano.

Ready?

Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

Piacere, sono Rosa Romano.

Listen again and repeat.

Piacere, sono Rosa Romano.

Let's try one more.

Imagine you're Felice Angelini. Felice Angelini.

Ready?

Buongiorno. Sono Paolo Parisi. Piacere.

Piacere, sono Felice Angelini.

Listen again and repeat.

Piacere, sono Felice Angelini.

In casual situations, you can also use this pattern with just your first name. For example, Riccardo Russo can simply say,

Sono Riccardo.

"I’m Riccardo."

Sono Riccardo.

Well Done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to give your name in Italian. This plays an essential role in the larger skill of introducing yourself.

Remember, these Can Do lessons are about learning practical language skills.

What's next?

Show us what you can do.

When you're ready, take your assessment.

You can take it again and again, so try anytime you like.

Our teachers will assess it, and give you your results.

Keep practicing — and move on to the next lesson!

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