How to Give Your Name

Learn how to give your name

Dialogue

Want to Understand & Master the Portuguese Dialogue 100%?

Get a breakdown of the dialogue and translations instantly with the Premium line-by-line Audio. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Select your level

Or sign up using Facebook

By clicking Join Now, you agree to our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and to receive our email communications, which you may opt out at any time.

Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Welcome to Can-Do Portuguese by PortuguesePod101.com.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to give your name in Portuguese.

For example, "I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!"

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

Two passengers, Susana Santos and Alex Andrade , are seated next to each other on a plane to Brazil.

Before you hear their conversation, let’s preview some of its key components.

Oi!

"Hi!"

Oi!

Prazer.

"Nice to meet you."

Prazer.

Listen to the conversation, and focus on Susana's response.

Note: both Alex and Susana use only their first names.

Ready?

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

Once more with the English translation.

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

"Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you."

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!"

Let's break down Susana's response.

Do you remember how Susana Santos introduces herself?

"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!"

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

Let's start with the expression, Prazer. This literally means "a pleasure," but it translates as "Nice to meet you."

Prazer. Prazer.

Both Susana and Alex use Prazer, in their introductions. This expression can be used in many contexts and is appropriate for both formal and informal situations.

Do you remember how Susana says,

"I'm Susana.".

Eu sou Susana.

First is eu, "I." Eu. Eu.

Next is sou, "am," as in "I am." Sou. Sou.

Sou is from the verb ser, meaning "to be." Ser.

Next is the name, Susana. "Susana." Susana. Susana.

Together it's Eu sou Susana. "I'm Susana."

Eu sou Susana.

The pattern is

Eu sou NAME.

I'm NAME.

Eu sou NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the {NAME} placeholder with your given name or your given name and surname.

Note: it's more common to use only one's given name with this pattern.

Imagine you're Samuel. In Portuguese, Samuel. Samuel. Samuel.

Say

"I'm Samuel."

Ready?

Eu sou Samuel.

"I'm Samuel."

Eu sou Samuel.

In the conversation, Susana and Alex use the expression Prazer.

Prazer is actually a shortened version of Prazer em conhecê-lo, meaning, "It's a pleasure to meet you," when addressing a male listener. Prazer em conhecê-lo.

-lo indicates the singular masculine form.

The gender of the person you are addressing determines the final part of this phrase for the extended version.

In the case you address a female listener, the extended version is Prazer em conhecê-la, where -la indicates the singular feminine form.

Remember, you can simply say, "Prazer," the shortened form. It's also polite and can be used with anyone. The extended versions are simply for your general awareness.

Again, the key pattern is

Eu sou NAME.

I'm NAME.

Eu sou NAME.

Let's look at some examples.

Listen and repeat or speak along with the native speakers.

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

"Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you."

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!"

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

Eu sou Samuel. Prazer!

"I'm Samuel. Nice to meet you!"

Eu sou Samuel. Prazer!

Oi! Eu sou Jade Furuta.

"Hi! I'm Jade Furuta."

Oi! Eu sou Jade Furuta.

O meu nome é Lilian.

"My name is Lilian."

O meu nome é Lilian.

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

O meu nome é Lilian.

"My name is Lilian."

Let's start with nome, "name." Nome. Nome.

In Portuguese, all nouns have grammatical gender and are either singular or plural. Nome is masculine and singular — a fact that determines the form of other words in the sentence.

Before this is o meu, meaning "my." O meu.

Meu is masculine singular to agree with nome.

Before meu is the article o. Think of it like "the" in English. O. O.

O is also masculine singular to agree with nome.

Note: in this sentence, the article, o, does not have a corresponding English translation.

In Portuguese, possessive pronouns, like meu, "my," seu, "your," and so forth, often pair with an article, like the o in o meu.

Together it's o meu, "my." O meu.

All together, o meu nome. "My name." O meu nome.

Next is é, "is," as in "My name is." É. É.

É is from the verb ser, meaning "to be." Ser.

Together it's o meu nome é, "my name is…" O meu nome é.

Last is the name Lilian. "Lilian." Lilian. Lilian.

All together, O meu nome é Lilian. "My name is Lillian."

O meu nome é Lilian.

This pattern is

O meu nome é NAME.

My name is NAME.

To use this pattern, simply replace the {NAME} placeholder with your given name or given name and surname.

Note: this pattern requires a proper noun.

Remember this pattern. You will use it later in the lesson.

Let's review the new vocabulary.

Oi. "Hi." Oi. Oi.

Let's review.

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

Ready?

Do you remember the short way to say

"Nice to meet you."

Prazer.

And the Portuguese pronunciation of Susana's name?

Susana.

Do you remember how to say "I"?

Eu.

Do you remember how Susana says,

"I'm Susana."

Eu sou Susana.

And do you remember how Susana says,

"I'm Susana. Nice to meet you!"

Eu sou Susana. Prazer!

Do you remember how to say

"Hi!"

Oi!

And the Portuguese pronunciation of Alex’s name?

Alex.

Do you remember how Alex says,

"Hi! I'm Alex. Nice to meet you."

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

Do you remember the Portuguese pronunciation of Lilian’s name?

Lilian.

And how to say "name"?

Nome.

Do you remember how to say "my name"?

Don’t forget the article.

O meu nome.

Do you remember how to say "My name is Lilian"?

O meu nome é Lilian.

Let's practice.

Imagine you're Samuel. Samuel.

Respond to Alex's self introduction.

Ready?

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

Eu sou Samuel. Prazer.

Listen again and repeat.

Eu sou Samuel. Prazer.

Let's try another.

Imagine you're Lilian. Lilian.

Include "Nice to meet you."

Ready?

Oi! Eu sou Alex. Prazer.

Eu sou Lilian. Prazer!

Listen again and repeat.

Eu sou Lilian. Prazer!

Let's try one more.

Imagine you're Jade. Jade.

Respond by saying, "My name is Jade. Nice to meet you."

Ready?

O meu nome é Alex. Prazer.

O meu nome é Jade. Prazer!

Listen again and repeat.

O meu nome é Jade. Prazer!

In general, Brazilians use only their first names when introducing themselves.

However, in a formal situation, such as a business meeting, it may be better to use your full name.

For example,

Eu sou Samuel Santos.

"I'm Samuel Santos."

Well Done! This is the end of this lesson.

In this lesson, you learned how to give your name in Portuguese. 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!

Comments

Hide