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I understand that Me llamo is like, I am [name] but so is nombre. So which one would be used and in what scenario? Are they both acceptable? Is one more formal than the other?

Diego
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Cameron Tarbell
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  • Like everyone else here has said me llamo is i call myself and mi nombre es is my name is. They are both the same exact thing but just different. – kayla Nov 28 '17 at 19:25
  • Me llamo is: My name is. Not: I am x. That would be: Soy x. – Lambie Sep 22 '21 at 18:55

1 Answers1

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Me llamo literally translates to I call myself, whereas Mi nombre es is My name is, but the two mean essentially the same.

Both phrases are acceptable. To some Mi nombre es can sound a bit more formal than me llamo. If you wanted to be more casual, you could simply say Soy ....

If you are having a conversation with someone you would (most likely) use Me llamo. But if you were, say, leaving a voicemail to someone who doesn't know you, you may want to use mi nombre es.

In general, mi nombre es can sound serious and slightly uptight. As someone commented on SpanishDict, if someone were to introduce himself with Mi nombre es in a bar, one might expect him to continue with "Bond, James Bond".

Diego
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Jacob
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    I like the way you put that Diego! Thanks so much! +1 – Cameron Tarbell Jul 03 '15 at 03:21
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    +1 for the Bond reference. Just brilliant! – Bardo Jul 03 '15 at 12:11
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    +1 for this great Explaination. – Amit Verma Jul 04 '15 at 10:41
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    Just one thing, although all that is true, I prefer saying that "me llamo" is more like a passive "I'm called". Despite not being a "direct translation", it can sound less forced than "I call myself". At least, it's more accurate for me, since you rarely actually decide your name. – FGSUZ Aug 31 '18 at 20:06
  • So when Walter White says "say my name!" That would be "mi nombre"? Because he's explicitly talking about his name? – Anthony May 08 '22 at 04:12