LinguaRussian does not say 'my name is'
The normal way to give your name is Меня зовут Анна – literally they call me Anna. There is no I and no is: the sentence is built around an unnamed they, and you simply learn it as a block.
Меня зовут Анна.My name is Anna.
Asking it back
The question is the same block with the person swapped. This is the first place where ты and вы really matter, so learn both forms together and pick by who is in front of you.
| Question | To whom | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Как вас зовут? | a stranger, an older person, a group | Меня зовут ... |
| А тебя как зовут? | a friend, a child, a classmate | Меня зовут ... |
| А вас? | shortcut, after you gave your own name | Меня зовут ... |
ты or вы
Вы is not only plural: it is the polite singular as well, and it is the default with anyone you do not know. Ты is for friends, family, children and animals. Russians do not slide from вы to ты on their own – the older or senior person offers it, often with the words давай на ты.
| Situation | Form |
|---|---|
| a shop assistant, a doctor, a taxi driver | вы |
| a colleague you have just met | вы |
| a classmate your own age | ты, usually from the first day |
| a child | ты |
Pleased to meet you
Очень приятно (very pleasant) is the standard reply to an introduction. Очень рад and очень рада do the same job, and the ending changes with the speaker: a man says рад, a woman says рада.
Очень приятно! Меня зовут Анна.Pleased to meet you! My name is Anna.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| зовут | they call (used for names) | Его зовут Максим. His name is Maxim. |
| приятно | pleasant, nice | Очень приятно. Pleased to meet you. |
| познакомиться | to get acquainted | Рад с вами познакомиться. I am glad to meet you. |
| ты | you (informal singular) | Ты студент? Are you a student? |
| вы | you (formal or plural) | Вы преподаватель? Are you a teacher? |
| извините | excuse me, sorry | Извините, я не расслышал. Sorry, I did not catch that. |
| коллега | colleague | Это мой коллега. This is my colleague. |
| сосед | neighbour | Мой сосед очень тихий. My neighbour is very quiet. |
| студент | student | Он студент. He is a student. |
| преподаватель | teacher, lecturer | Наш преподаватель из Москвы. Our teacher is from Moscow. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
You meet the director of a company. How do you ask for the name?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.