How do you ask 'what's your name?' in French?

There are three main ways, from casual to formal: C'est quoi ton nom ? (very casual, spoken), Comment tu t'appelles ? (informal, standard), and Comment vous appelez-vous ? (formal or to someone you don't know). All three ask the same thing.

How do you say 'my name is' in French?

Say Je m'appelle… followed by your name — Je m'appelle Rémi. In fast speech it often sounds like j'm'appelle. A more casual option is Moi, c'est Rémi ('I'm Rémi').

What's the difference between 'comment tu t'appelles' and 'c'est quoi ton nom'?

They mean the same thing. Comment tu t'appelles ? is the standard informal question; c'est quoi ton nom ? is more casual and very common in spoken French between young people. Both use tu, so they're for friends and people your own age.

How do you ask for someone's phone number in French?

Casually: C'est quoi ton numéro ? or even shorter, ton tél ? (short for téléphone). More politely: Tu peux me donner ton numéro ? ('Can you give me your number?').

Should I use tu or vous when asking someone's name?

Use vous with strangers, older people and in formal settings (Comment vous appelez-vous ?). Use tu with friends, children and people around your own age in relaxed situations (Comment tu t'appelles ?). When in doubt, start with vous.

What's Your Name in French: 3 Ways to Ask (and How to Answer)

"What's your name?" is often the very first real thing you say to a French person — so it's worth knowing more than one way to ask it. In my new video you'll see it play out in a fun street scene; here are the three versions from casual to formal, how to answer, and even how to ask for a number if the conversation's going well.

🎬 "C'est quoi ton nom ?" — asking a name (and a number) in French. Watch how it flows.

3 ways to ask someone's name

Same question, three levels of formality — match it to who you're talking to:

C'est quoi ton nom ? — very casual, spoken (seh kwah ton non). This is the one in the video.
Comment tu t'appelles ? — informal, standard (koh-mon tew tah-pell). You'll also hear the spoken order Tu t'appelles comment ?
Comment vous appelez-vous ? — formal or with a stranger (koh-mon vooz ah-play voo).

How to answer

Je m'appelle… — My name is… (zhuh mah-pell). In fast speech it sounds like j'm'appelle.
Moi, c'est… — I'm… (mwah seh) — the casual version, great in relaxed settings.

And to bounce it back, add Et toi ? ("And you?") or, formally, Et vous ? — Je m'appelle Rémi, et toi ?

If it's going well: asking for a number

The video keeps going and asks for a phone number — here's how, from casual to polite:

C'est quoi ton numéro ? — What's your number? Even shorter: ton tél ? (short for téléphone).
Tu peux me donner ton numéro ? — Can you give me your number? (a little softer)

The tu / vous rule

Every version above is either tu (informal) or vous (formal), and choosing right matters more than the exact words. Use vous with strangers, older people and in shops or offices; use tuwith friends, people your own age and children. When you're not sure, start with vous — no one is ever offended by it, and you can always switch once someone says on peut se tutoyer("we can use tu").

Put it together

A tiny first conversation you can actually use:

— Salut ! Comment tu t'appelles ? (Hi! What's your name?)
— Moi, c'est Léa. Et toi ? (I'm Léa. And you?)
— Rémi. Enchanté ! (Rémi. Nice to meet you!)

Practice it out loud

Say all three questions out loud until they feel automatic, then run the little dialogue above swapping in real names. For the next step — actually chatting with someone you like — see talking to your crush in French, or start from the very beginning with basic French words for beginners. And if you want to practise real conversations, I teach one-to-one online — you can book a free 30-minute trial lesson or see how I work as a French tutor in Bangkok & online.