Introducing Yourself and Asking Names

1. The Core Phrases for Introductions

Let's dive right into the most common way to state your name and ask for someone else's. As you'll see, your choice of words will again depend on whether you're in a formal or informal situation.

The main phrase you'll use to introduce yourself is:
Меня́ зову́т... (Menyá zavút...) — My name is...

To ask someone for their name, you have two options:

• Informal: Как тебя́ зову́т? (Kak tebyá zavút?) — What is your name? (used with ты)
• Formal: Как вас зову́т? (Kak vas zavút?) — What is your name? (used with вы)

Notice the use of тебя́ for informal situations and вас for formal ones. This directly parallels the ты/вы distinction we've been practicing.

To hear these phrases spoken in a clear, conversational context, please watch the following short video clip.

This handy visual guide summarizes the key phrases for introductions.

2. Understanding the Structure

You might be wondering about the grammar behind "Меня зовут". It's not a direct one-to-one translation of "My name is". A literal translation offers a useful insight into how the language works.

• Зовут is a form of the verb звать (zvat'), which means "to call".
• Меня is a form of я (I/me).
• Тебя is a form of ты (you).
• Вас is a form of вы (you).

So, when you say "Меня зовут...", you are literally saying "They call me...". Likewise, "Как тебя/вас зовут?" literally means "How do they call you?"

This structure is very common in Russian, where feelings or states are often expressed as happening to you, rather than being something you are. You don't need to memorize the grammar details right now, but understanding the literal meaning can help the phrase stick in your memory.

The next video explains this concept clearly.

3. Putting It Into a Conversation

Now, let's see how these phrases fit into a short, natural dialogue. When someone introduces themselves to you, you can respond with "And my name is..." using the conjunction а.

For example:
— Привет! Меня зовут Анна. А тебя как зовут? (Hi! My name is Anna. And what's your name?)
— Привет! А меня зовут Пётр. (Hi! And my name is Pyotr.)

A crucial follow-up to any introduction is saying "Nice to meet you." The most common way to say this is:
О́чень прия́тно. (Óchen' priyátno.) — Nice to meet you. (Literally: "Very pleasant.")

Let's examine a short dialogue that puts this all together.

4. Cursive Practice

Let's practice writing what you've learned. Mastering cursive is one of your key goals, and applying it to conversational phrases is the best way to make it useful.

Here is a snippet from a handwriting guide showing an introduction in cursive.

The dialogue says:
— Скажите, пожалуйста, как вас зовут? (Tell me, please, what is your name?)
— Меня зовут Павел, или Паша. А вас? (My name is Pavel, or Pasha. And you?)
— А меня зовут Надежда. (And my name is Nadezhda.)
— Очень приятно! (Nice to meet you!)

Now, it's your turn. On a piece of paper, try writing out the following exchange, but replace the names with your own and mine (you can call me Алекс).

— Как тебя зовут?
— Меня зовут [Your Name]. А тебя?
— А меня зовут Алекс. Очень приятно!

This exercise combines comprehension, personalization, and cursive practice all in one.

Conclusion

Great work! You have now learned one of the most important conversational skills in any language: how to introduce yourself and ask for someone's name.

Key Takeaways:

• To state your name, use: Меня́ зову́т [Имя].
• To ask for someone's name informally, use: Как тебя́ зову́т?
• To ask for someone's name formally, use: Как вас зову́т?
• A polite and essential follow-up is: О́чень прия́тно. (Nice to meet you.)
• The literal meaning of "Меня зовут" is "They call me," which is a common grammatical pattern in Russian.

You can now greet someone and exchange names. In our next lesson, we will continue building our first conversation by learning how to ask and answer the questions "How are you?" and "Where are you from?"