French - Personal Identity

Lesson 48 of 159

Learner practicing French personal identity phrases to introduce themselves in simple conversations.

Goal: Introduce yourself: name, origin, age, job, languages

Free French lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Ready to meet someone new in French? This short lesson focuses on the phrases you need to say who you are and learn about others. Have fun — say the lines out loud and try to answer the quick quizzes.

Level A1: In this CEFR-aligned lesson you'll practice core identity phrases: saying your name, where you come from, where you live, your age, job and which languages you speak. We'll listen to short examples, use a mini conversation, and do quick quizzes to make these phrases stick.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Introduce yourself: Je m'appelle ___; Tu peux m'appeler ___.
  • Ask and say origin and residence: Tu viens d'où ? / Je viens de ___ / Tu habites où ? / J'habite à ___.
  • Ask and say age, job and languages: Tu as quel âge ? / J'ai ___ ans. / Je suis ___ / Tu parles ___ ? / Je parle ___.
  • Give and ask a family name: Mon nom de famille, c'est ___ / C'est quoi, ton nom de famille ?
  • Practice speaking aloud: repeat phrases and use them in a short dialogue (A1).
Two friends meeting and exchanging names, origin, age, job and languages in French for beginner learners.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Je m'appelle ___.

My name is ___.

Meaning: My name is ___.

When to use: Use this to give your first name or full name when meeting someone.

Je m'appelle Anna.
My name is Anna.
Je m'appelle Paul Dupont.
My name is Paul Dupont.

Je viens de ___.

I am from ___.

Meaning: I am from ___.

When to use: Say this to tell your country or place of origin. Note: country forms can change (du, de la, des).

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 'Je viens de Canada' — remember some countries use 'du' or 'de la'.

Je viens de France.
I am from France.
Je viens du Maroc.
I am from Morocco.

Tu viens d'où ?

Where are you from?

Meaning: Where are you from?

When to use: Ask someone where they come from in casual conversation (use 'Vous venez d'où ?' to be polite/formal).

Tu viens d'où ?
Where are you from?
Tu viens d'où, Anna ?
Where are you from, Anna?

J'habite à ___.

I live in ___.

Meaning: I live in ___.

When to use: Natural for saying the city where you live. For countries, you may say 'en ___', 'au ___' or 'aux ___'.

J'habite à Paris.
I live in Paris.
J'habite à Lyon avec ma famille.
I live in Lyon with my family.

Tu habites où ?

Where do you live?

Meaning: Where do you live?

When to use: Ask someone for the city where they live. For formality: 'Vous habitez où ?'.

Tu habites où ?
Where do you live?
Tu habites où en été ?
Where do you live in summer?

J'ai ___ ans.

I am ___ years old.

Meaning: I am ___ years old.

When to use: Use this to say your age. In French you use 'avoir' (j'ai) not 'être' (je suis).

Tip: Learners sometimes say 'Je suis 20 ans.' — remember to use 'J'ai'.

J'ai 20 ans.
I am 20 years old.
J'ai trente ans.
I am thirty years old.

Tu as quel âge ?

How old are you?

Meaning: How old are you?

When to use: Ask a person's age informally. For a polite/formal form say 'Vous avez quel âge ?'.

Tu as quel âge ?
How old are you?
Tu as quel âge, David ?
How old are you, David?

Je suis ___.

I am a ___.

Meaning: I am a ___.

When to use: Use to say your job or role. Often no article is used: 'je suis médecin'.

Tip: Avoid adding an article for many job titles (say 'Je suis médecin', not 'Je suis un médecin').

Je suis étudiant.
I am a student.
Je suis professeur de français.
I am a French teacher.

Je parle ___.

I speak ___.

Meaning: I speak ___.

When to use: Say which language(s) you speak, e.g. 'je parle anglais'.

Je parle anglais et un peu français.
I speak English and a little French.
Je parle espagnol.
I speak Spanish.

Tu parles ___ ?

Do you speak ___?

Meaning: Do you speak ___?

When to use: Ask if someone speaks a language. For formality use 'Vous parlez ___ ?'.

Tu parles anglais ?
Do you speak English?
Tu parles français avec ta famille ?
Do you speak French with your family?

Tu peux m'appeler ___.

You can call me ___.

Meaning: You can call me ___.

When to use: Use this to give a preferred name or nickname in casual conversation.

Tu peux m'appeler Sam.
You can call me Sam.
Tu peux m'appeler Lili si tu veux.
You can call me Lili if you like.

Mon nom de famille, c'est ___.

My last name is ___.

Meaning: My last name is ___.

When to use: Give your family name or surname in a natural spoken way.

Mon nom de famille, c'est Dupont.
My last name is Dupont.
Mon nom de famille, c'est Nguyen.
My last name is Nguyen.

C'est quoi, ton nom de famille ?

What's your last name?

Meaning: What's your last name?

When to use: Ask someone for their family name in an informal way. Polite form: 'Quel est votre nom de famille ?'.

C'est quoi, ton nom de famille ?
What's your last name?
Excuse-moi, c'est quoi, ton nom de famille ?
Excuse me, what's your last name?

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna and David meet and introduce themselves.

Anna and David introduce themselves and say where they are from and how old they are — a handy identity practice scene.

What information do Anna and David exchange?

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Salut ! Je m'appelle Anna. Tu peux m'appeler Anna.

Hi! My name is Anna. You can call me Anna.

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Salut Anna ! Je m'appelle David. Mon nom de famille, c'est Martin.

Hi Anna! My name is David. My last name is Martin.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Tu viens d'où ?

Where are you from?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Je viens du Canada. J'habite à Montréal.

I'm from Canada. I live in Montreal.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Tu as quel âge ?

How old are you?

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

J'ai 28 ans.

I am 28 years old.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

What does 'Tu viens d'où ?' mean?

Which sentence correctly says 'I am 25 years old'?

How do you ask 'Do you speak English?' informally?

Which phrase is the natural way to give your last name?

Anna answers 'Je viens de France.' to say where she is from.

David: Tu viens d'où ? Anna: ___

David replies with his age: 'J'ai 28 ans.'

Anna: Tu as quel âge ? David: ___

David answers 'Je parle français.' to say he speaks French.

Anna: Tu parles français ? David: ___

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Je m'appelle ___.

My name is ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Je viens de ___.

I am from ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Tu viens d'où ?

Where are you from?

Say this phrase out loud:

J'habite à ___.

I live in ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Tu habites où ?

Where do you live?

Say this phrase out loud:

J'ai ___ ans.

I am ___ years old.

Say this phrase out loud:

Tu as quel âge ?

How old are you?

Say this phrase out loud:

Je suis ___.

I am a ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Je parle ___.

I speak ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Tu parles ___ ?

Do you speak ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

Tu peux m'appeler ___.

You can call me ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

Mon nom de famille, c'est ___.

My last name is ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

C'est quoi, ton nom de famille ?

What's your last name?