How to introduce yourself in Spanish: name, age, where you're from

What do you say to introduce yourself in Spanish?

A Spanish self-introduction has five lines: a greeting, your name (Me llamo…), where you're from (Soy de…), your age or job if it fits (Tengo… años, Soy…), and Mucho gusto. Tap each to hear it:

• Hola, ¿qué tal?Unit 2

  Hi, how's it going? (casual)

• Me llamo Ana.Unit 2

  My name is Ana. (literally "I call myself Ana")

  Soy Ana ("I'm Ana") works just as well.

• Soy de Estados Unidos.Unit 2

  I'm from the United States.

• Tengo veinticinco años.Unit 3

  I'm twenty-five (years old).

• Soy estudiante.Unit 2

  I'm a student.

  No un before a job: Soy estudiante, Soy ingeniera.

• Hablo un poco de español.Unit 2

  I speak a little Spanish.

• Mucho gusto.Unit 2

  Nice to meet you.

Put together, a casual introduction sounds like this:

¡Hola! Me llamo Emma. Soy de Estados Unidos, de Texas. Tengo veinticinco años y soy estudiante. Hablo un poco de español. ¡Mucho gusto!

Hi! My name is Emma. I'm from the United States, from Texas. I'm twenty-five and I'm a student. I speak a little Spanish. Nice to meet you!

How do you introduce yourself in Spanish formally?

To introduce yourself formally in Spanish, greet with the time of day, give your full name with Me llamo… or Mi nombre es…, and use usted when you ask back: Buenas tardes. Mi nombre es Emma Brown. Mucho gusto. ¿Y usted, cómo se llama? With usted, the verb takes the he/she form: ¿Cómo se llama usted?, ¿De dónde es usted?

• buenas tardesUnit 2

  good afternoon

• ¿Cómo se llama usted?Unit 2

  What's your name? (polite)

• ¿Cómo está usted?Unit 2

  How are you? (polite)

• Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?Unit 2

  Very well, thanks. And you? (polite)

• Encantada.Unit 2

  Delighted to meet you. (a woman says encantada, a man encantado)

• ¿De dónde es usted?Unit 2

  Where are you from? (polite)

Buenos días. Mi nombre es Emma Brown. Soy ingeniera y soy de Estados Unidos. Mucho gusto.

Good morning. My name is Emma Brown. I'm an engineer and I'm from the United States. Nice to meet you.

In a job interview in Mexico you may hear Platíqueme de usted or Hábleme de usted ("tell me about yourself"). Two questions from CiaoSpeak's interview scene, both with usted:

• "What languages do you speak?"

  Job interview · Gabriela, the interviewer

  QBuenos días. Tome asiento. ¿Qué idiomas habla?

  Good morning. Have a seat. What languages do you speak?

  Or they might say:
  Buenos días, pase. Primero, ¿qué idiomas habla?Good morning, come in. First, what languages do you speak?

  You can answer

  AHablo inglés y español.

  I speak English and Spanish.

  El idioma ends in -a but is masculine, like el problema: los idiomas, dos idiomas. Languages take no capital letter in Spanish: inglés, español.

• "How would you describe yourself?"

  Job interview · Gabriela, the interviewer

  Q¿Cómo es su personalidad?

  What is your personality like?

  Or they might say:
  Descríbase en pocas palabras. ¿Cómo es usted?Describe yourself in a few words. What are you like? Si le pregunto a un amigo suyo, ¿cómo me diría que es usted?If I ask a friend of yours, how would they say you are? Platíqueme un poco de usted. ¿Cómo se describe?Tell me a little about yourself. How would you describe yourself?

  You can answer

  ASoy una persona muy honesta y trabajadora.

  I'm a very honest and hardworking person.

  Soy una persona muy honesta works for anyone: the adjective agrees with persona (feminine), not with you. Without persona, a man says honesto, trabajador and a woman honesta, trabajadora.

How do you say your age in Spanish?

Say Tengo + your age + años: Tengo treinta años. Spanish uses tener ("to have") for age, literally "I have thirty years", so never Soy treinta. To ask: ¿Cuántos años tienes? to a friend, ¿Cuántos años tiene usted? politely (though, as in English, you rarely ask a stranger's age).

• ¿Cuántos años tienes?Unit 3

  How old are you? (literally "how many years do you have?")

• Tengo veinticinco años.Unit 3

  I'm twenty-five (years old).

• Mi hermano tiene diez años.Unit 3

  My brother is ten.

Numbers ending in uno shorten before años: Tengo veintiún años, treinta y un años.

How do you introduce yourself casually in Spanish?

With people your age, use tú: ¿Cómo te llamas?, ¿De dónde eres?, and answer Soy… or Me llamo… Here's how the first meeting with Ana goes in CiaoSpeak's Speak tab:

• Ana says hi

  Meeting Ana · Ana

  Q¡Hola! ¡Buenas tardes!

  Hi! Good afternoon!

  Or they might say:
  ¡Hola, hola! Buenas tardes.Hi, hi! Good afternoon.

  You can answer

  AHola, buenas tardes.

  Hi, good afternoon.

  Buenas tardes runs from about noon until dark. Hola works any time, and Hola, buenas tardes is warm and very common.

• Ana introduces herself

  Meeting Ana · Ana

  QSoy Ana. ¡Mucho gusto!

  I'm Ana. Nice to meet you!

  Or they might say:
  Me llamo Ana. ¡Mucho gusto!My name is Ana. Nice to meet you! Soy Ana, tu compañera de intercambio. ¡Mucho gusto!I'm Ana, your exchange partner. Nice to meet you!

  You can answer

  AMucho gusto, Ana.

  Nice to meet you, Ana.

  Mucho gusto is "nice to meet you". When someone says it first, Igualmente ("likewise") is the easy reply. You can add your own name too: Soy …, mucho gusto.

• "Are you a student?"

  Meeting Ana · Ana

  Q¿Eres estudiante?

  Are you a student?

  Or they might say:
  Y tú, ¿eres estudiante?And you, are you a student?

  You can answer

  ASí, soy estudiante.

  Yes, I'm a student.

  Ask back

  A¿Y tú?

  QSí, estudio en la UNAM. ¡Es mi último año!

  Yes, I study at UNAM. It's my last year!

  Spanish usually drops the article before a job: Soy estudiante, not "Soy un estudiante". Many jobs change for a woman: profesor, profesora.

• ¿Cómo te llamas?Unit 2

  What's your name? (to a friend)

• ¿De dónde eres?Unit 2

  Where are you from? (to a friend)

• Igualmente.Unit 2

  Likewise. (the reply to Mucho gusto)

What mistakes do English speakers make when introducing themselves?

The classic mistakes are using ser for age (Soy veinticinco), adding un before a job, using estar for where you're from, capitalizing nationalities, and the famous embarazada. Here are the fixes:

Americans: in Latin America americano can mean anyone from the Americas, so estadounidense is the clear word for someone from the US. More traps like embarazada are in our list of Spanish false friends.

How can you practice introducing yourself?

Practice it out loud with someone who replies. CiaoSpeak's Spanish course teaches introductions in Unit 2 (Greetings & Introductions): names, Mucho gusto, jobs, where you're from, nationalities, and when to use tú or usted; Unit 3 adds your age. One of the first Speak scenes is meeting Ana: she says hello, introduces herself, and asks if you're a student, and you answer by voice. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like.

After the introduction comes the conversation: see Spanish small talk.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between me llamo and mi nombre es?

Both mean "my name is". Me llamo (literally "I call myself") is the everyday way; Mi nombre es is also correct and common in formal introductions. Soy Emma ("I'm Emma") works anywhere.

How do you respond to mucho gusto?

Say Igualmente ("likewise") or Mucho gusto back. A woman can also say Encantada and a man Encantado.

Should Americans say americano or estadounidense?

Estadounidense is clearer. Mexicans will understand Soy americano, but in Latin America americano can also mean anyone from the Americas, so Soy estadounidense, or Soy de Estados Unidos, avoids any confusion.