# how do I ask someone his name



## Richie

How  do I ask someone their name?

I really am a beginner in Portuguese.


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## Lems

Richie said:
			
		

> How  do I ask someone their name?
> 
> I really am a beginner in Portuguese.



Welcome, Richie! Long journeys start with the first step.  

Qual é o seu nome?  
(What is your name?)
or
Como você se chama?  
(How are you called? - I know this form is unusual in English; just to let you know the phrase structure)

Hope this helps.

Lems

________________________
Agradeço por suas correções.
I appreciate any correction.


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## Whodunit

What about
Como é seu nome?

(without o/the)

Is it correct? I found it in another dictionary...


Here you can get more information.


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## Lems

whodunit said:
			
		

> What about
> Como é seu nome?
> 
> (without o/the)
> 
> Is it correct? I found it in another dictionary...
> 
> 
> Here you can get more information.



Qual é o seu nome? 

Como você se chama? 

Como é seu nome?

Como é o seu nome?

All variations on the same theme... 

Lems

________________________
Agradeço por suas correções.
I appreciate any correction.


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## Richie

thanks Lems we are fortunate to have you here to help.


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## Lems

Richie said:
			
		

> thanks Lems we are fortunate to have you here to help.



My pleasure, *Richie*.


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## Whodunit

Lems said:
			
		

> Qual é o seu nome?
> 
> Como você se chama?
> 
> Como é seu nome?
> 
> Como é o seu nome?
> 
> All variations on the same theme...
> 
> Lems
> 
> ________________________
> Agradeço por suas correções.
> I appreciate any correction.



Thank you...


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## cuchuflete

whodunit said:
			
		

> Thank you...


Whodunit--

You have now received good advice from a Brasileiro viewpoint.  In Portugal you might also consider,

¿Como se chama o senhor/a senhora?

It's more formal, and perhaps more appropriate in addressing older people.

'te logo,
Quxu


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## Lems

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Whodunit--
> 
> You have now received good advice from a Brasileiro viewpoint.  In Portugal you might also consider,
> 
> ¿Como se chama o senhor/a senhora?
> 
> It's more formal, and perhaps more appropriate in addressing older people.
> 
> 'te logo,
> Quxu


Actually, this is true also in Brazil. 

Good point, Quxu.  

Inté

Lems

________________________
Agradeço eventuais correções.
I appreciate any correction.


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## rogelio

Lems said:
			
		

> Actually, this is true also in Brazil.
> 
> Good point, Quxu.
> 
> Inté
> 
> Lems
> 
> ________________________
> Agradeço eventuais correções.
> I appreciate any correction.



Lems,
this is off the subject, but - I have many friends from Brazil.  I am fluent in English and Spanish and I can understand more or less when my buddies speak to me in Portugeuse.  I have learned a lot of Portugeuse, However, I stopped practicing it recently because I was beginning to speak spanish with a brazilizan accent - to the amusement of my Brazilian friends.    -
Although I love languages in general, I make my living working with Spanish Speaking people.  Any advice on how to learn portuguese (Because I'd really like to learn more) without it affecting my Spanish.  
Muchas Gracias,
Rogelio


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## cuchuflete

rogelio said:
			
		

> Lems,
> this is off the subject, but - I have many friends from Brazil.  I am fluent in English and Spanish and I can understand more or less when my buddies speak to me in Portugeuse.  I have learned a lot of Portugeuse, However, I stopped practicing it recently because I was beginning to speak spanish with a brazilizan accent - to the amusement of my Brazilian friends.    -
> Although I love languages in general, I make my living working with Spanish Speaking people.  Any advice on how to learn portuguese (Because I'd really like to learn more) without it affecting my Spanish.
> Muchas Gracias,
> Rogelio



Rogelio,
I'm sure Lems will have better advice, but I don't see the problem as a serious one.  The languages, Brasileiro and whatever variety of Spanish you use, sound so completely different.  Sometimes it was hard for me not to confuse the vocabulary, but that's just work and practice.  

Boa tarde,
Quxu


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## rogelio

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Rogelio,
> I'm sure Lems will have better advice, but I don't see the problem as a serious one.  The languages, Brasileiro and whatever variety of Spanish you use, sound so completely different.  Sometimes it was hard for me not to confuse the vocabulary, but that's just work and practice.
> 
> Boa tarde,
> Quxu


Obrigado, Quxu
Estoy seguro de que nadie tenga mejor consejo que usted.  Voy a seguir esforzandome para aprender mas del idioma y practicar mas con mis amigos Brasileros.  Tal vez el acento que me da solo es una cosa pasante.  Gracias por su ayuda. 
 

'te logo
Rogelio


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## rogelio

I mean no offense to Lems by that.  Estoy seguro de que el tehne boa consejo tamben.  (Puedo hablar un poco de portugeuse, pero no puedo escribirlo por nada  )

Que falla voce, Lems?
Rogelio


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## cuchuflete

Rogelio,
O Doutor Lems fala o espanhol, inglês, e naturalmente o português brasileiro...tudos perfeitamente bem.  'ta muito legal o lems, ¿não é?

um abraço,
Quxu

PD- for quick translations of common words, here is an on-line PG=EN=PG dictionary
http://www.freedict.com/


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## Lems

rogelio said:
			
		

> I mean no offense to Lems by that.  Estoy seguro de que el tehne boa consejo tamben.  (Puedo hablar un poco de portugeuse, pero no puedo escribirlo por nada  )
> 
> Que falla voce, Lems?
> Rogelio



Oi Rogelio!!

Que pena que me ausentei do forum neste fim de semana que foi prolongado por um feriado nacional aqui no Brasil...   

Mas espero retomar a tempo. 

Acho que o Quchu, como sempre   , deu uma excelente sugestão para a sua questão. É tudo realmente uma questão de praticar. E você pode se valer deste forum também... Estou convidando diversos amigos brasileiros e estrangeiros para participar e enriquecer o WR.

¡Bienvenido siempre!

Lems

________________________
Agradeço por suas correções.
I appreciate any correction.


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## Lems

cuchufléte said:
			
		

> Rogelio,
> O Doutor Lems fala o espanhol, inglês, e naturalmente o português brasileiro...tudos perfeitamente bem.  'ta muito legal o lems, ¿não é?
> 
> um abraço,
> Quxu
> 
> PD- for quick translations of common words, here is an on-line PG=EN=PG dictionary
> http://www.freedict.com/


Nada como ter bons amigos...  Eles sempre inflam o ego da gente...  

Mas o Quchu é que é um cidadão do mundo.  

Um abraço

Lems

________________________
Agradeço por suas correções.
I appreciate any correction.


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## 22caps

In response to rogelio... I think I encountered the same problem when I started learning italian, already having known spanish.  All I can say is that there is an opening period that really screws you up.  I went to Italy for a month this summer knowing only very basic Italian, and for two weeks the world of italian and the world of spanish were one in my head.  I would start a sentence in italian and end in spanish, unintentionally.  Fortunately I made some friends in Italy who were from Mexico, so I could practice my spanish with them.  The only way I got through it was to simply practice and practice till finally a third part of my brain was created.  Before it was just "English" and "Anything else".  It's really a fight to change that "anything else" category to two distinct languages, especially when they are so similar.  Their similarity really messed me up my first two weeks in Italy, but after that it helped me more than I can describe.  So in the end, all I can tell you is that it's hard at first, but work as hard as you can to create that third part in your brain and after that things'll get better.


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## brookman

You guys are all nerds...


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## MJD

Brookman,

That we may be, but then when one takes a look at all of your posts in the Word Reference forums, all two of them, it becomes abundantly clear that you're a troll that wastes his time haunting a forum only to cause trouble.....kind of nerdy on your part don't you think?


Rogelio,

Eu recomendo que você leia em português. É assim que se enriquece o seu vocabulário e, no caso de leituras, a língua escrita não vai afectar a sua pronúncia espanhola. Contudo, se quiser aprender _falar_ em português, será preciso aprender a pronúncia portuguesa, seja lusitana ou brasileira, ambos sendo bem diferente de espanhol, e fazer uma distinção na sua mente quando está a falar com falantes nativos das próprias línguas para que elas (português e espanhol) não se misturem.


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## davidb654321

I'm also at the very very beginning of learning Portuguese, and my textbook is convinced that: "como se chama" is the standard way of saying it.

From what other contributors have suggested, this is a bit antiquated/formal.

What would be the way of asking someone that wasn't too formal without being rude to an adult?

Thanks.


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## Outsider

Hi, davidb654321, welcome to the forum.

I think you've misinterpreted the previous posts. "Como se chama?" is neither antiquated nor overly formal. In fact, it's the simplest and most neutral way of asking that question that I can think of.


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## Vanda

davidb654321 said:
			
		

> I'm also at the very very beginning of learning Portuguese, and my textbook is convinced that: "como se chama" is the standard way of saying it.
> 
> From what other contributors have suggested, this is a bit antiquated/formal.
> 
> What would be the way of asking someone that wasn't too formal without being rude to an adult?
> 
> Thanks.


 
_Como se chama o senhor/a senhora?_ as suggested above is ok. 

_Informally_ I normally say to people older than me :
Como é o nome do senhor/ da senhora? 
or
Como é mesmo o nome do senhor/ da senhora?

Anyway, as Lems has said above, they are just variations on the same theme.
You can feel free to use any of them; people will appreciate your
willing to use their language.


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## Vanda

Outsider said:
			
		

> Hi, davidb654321, welcome to the forum.
> 
> I think you've misinterpreted the previous posts. "Como se chama?" is neither antiquated nor overly formal. In fact, it's the simplest and most neutral way of asking that question that I can think of.


 
Outsider entered with a good answer the very same time as me.


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## angelkate

davidb654321 - "Como se chama" would be perfectly acceptable to use for anyone but if you want to be more informal you could use "Como te chamas?" which is literally "what is your name?". hope that helps.

hi 2 everyone else on this chat. I'm half-portuguese and am bilingual with portuguese and english, i also learn french and german. lol.


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## Outsider

angelkate said:
			
		

> hi 2 everyone else on this chat. I'm half-portuguese and am bilingual with portuguese and english, i also learn french and german. lol.


Hi, *angelkate*, welcome to the forum. 

Just in case, let me remind you to read the forum rules (posted as a sticky at the top of each forum). These message boards are based on a different philosophy from chat rooms.

See you around.


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## angelina barbosa

It all depends on the situation.... "Como se chama" is what you would say to an adult in Portugal, though you could also say "Qual é o seu nome?" But the first one is more commonly used in formal situations and it's not old-fashioned. When addressing a child, or a youngster, we say "Como te chamas". Well, it all depends on whether you're learning Brazilian-Portuguese or Portuguese from Portugal.


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