How to ask What is Your Name? in Italian

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to introduce yourself in Italian, how to ask someone What is your name?, and how to respond naturally and politely. Knowing how to say your name is one of the first and most important steps when learning a new language, as it helps you start conversations and make a good first impression. Let’s begin!

How to Ask What Is Your Name? in Italian

In Italian, the way you ask someone’s name depends on how formal the situation is. Italian makes a clear distinction between informal and formal speech, so choosing the correct form is important.

There are two main ways to ask What’s your name? in Italian:

This is the informal way of asking What’s your name? You should use it when talking to friends, classmates, children, or people your age. It is friendly, relaxed, and very common in everyday conversations.

This is the formal version. It is used when meeting strangers, older people, or someone in a professional or formal setting, such as a workplace, an office, or a shop. Using the formal version shows politeness and respect.

The word come means how, while ti chiami and si chiama come from the verb chiamarsi, which means to be called. This verb is reflexive, which is why you see pronouns like ti, si, and mi.

To answer both questions, you can use the same structure and simply say Mi chiamo followed by your name:

Asking About Someone Else’s Name

If you want to ask about another person’s name, you can still use the verb chiamarsi. In this case, you replace ti with si.

This structure works for people, animals, and even objects, and it is very commonly used in everyday Italian.

Other Ways to Ask What Is Your Name?

Another common way to ask someone’s name is more direct and literal:

This form is perfectly correct, but in spoken Italian, Come ti chiami? is often more natural and commonly used.

If you want to ask for someone’s surname, you can say:

How to Say Nice to Meet You in Italian

After exchanging names, it’s polite to say Nice to meet you. In Italian, there are different forms depending on the situation.

There are three common ways to say Nice to meet you in Italian:

All of these expressions mean It’s a pleasure to meet you. A common and polite response is:

Summary

In this lesson, you learned how to ask and talk about names in Italian in both informal and formal situations. The most common expression is Come ti chiami?, used with friends and people you know, while Come si chiama? is the formal version used with strangers or in professional contexts. You also learned the more literal alternative Qual è il tuo nome?, which can be answered with Il mio nome è…, as well as how to ask about someone else’s name using Come si chiama…? and how to ask for a surname with Qual è il suo cognome?. Finally, you practiced responding with Mi chiamo… or Si chiama… and learned how to say Nice to meet you in Italian using both informal and formal expressions.