Introducing yourself: asking and stating your name, nationality, and profession in Italian

This section summarises the essential phrases for introducing yourself, clearly distinguishing between formal and informal registers.

Welcome to your first major step into the Italian language! One of the most important skills when learning a new language is the ability to introduce yourself and learn about the people you meet.

In Italian, the way you speak to someone depends on your relationship with them. We have an informal way of speaking (used with friends, peers, children, and people your own age) and a formal way of speaking (used with strangers, older people, or in professional settings). We will cover both in this lesson.

Before we dive into the specific questions, you should know the most important word for any introduction:

• Piacere!
  Nice to meet you!

Let’s break down the introduction into three main parts: Name, Nationality, and Profession.

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Part 1: Asking and Stating Your Name

When you want to tell someone your name in Italian, you have two common options. You can use the verb chiamarsi (to call oneself) or the verb essere (to be).

Stating Your Name

• Mi chiamo Roberto.
  My name is Roberto. (Literally: I call myself Roberto).

• Mi chiamo Sarah.
  My name is Sarah.

• Sono Marco.
  I am Marco.

• Sono Maria.
  I am Maria.

Asking for Someone’s Name

If you want to ask someone their name, you must choose between the informal and formal approach.

Informal (Talking to a peer or someone at a casual party):

• Come ti chiami?
  What is your name? (Literally: How do you call yourself?)

Formal (Talking to a client, an older person, or a shop owner):

• Come si chiama?
  What is your name?

Examples in Context:

• Ciao, io mi chiamo Antonio. E tu, come ti chiami?
  Hi, my name is Antonio. And you, what is your name?

• Mi chiamo Giulia, piacere!
  My name is Giulia, nice to meet you!

• Buongiorno. Io sono il Signor Rossi. Lei come si chiama?
  Good morning. I am Mr. Rossi. What is your name? (Formal)

• Buongiorno, mi chiamo Anna Bianchi.
  Good morning, my name is Anna Bianchi.

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Part 2: Asking and Stating Your Nationality

To talk about where you are from, you can state your nationality as an adjective (e.g., “I am American”), or you can state your city or country of origin (e.g., “I am from New York”).

Note: In Italian, adjectives change depending on whether you are male or female. Usually, words ending in -o are for males, and words ending in -a are for females. Words ending in -e can be used for both.

Stating Your Nationality

• Sono americano.
  I am American. (Said by a male)

• Sono americana.
  I am American. (Said by a female)

• Sono italiano.
  I am Italian. (Said by a male)

• Sono italiana.
  I am Italian. (Said by a female)

• Sono inglese.
  I am English. (Said by a male or female)

• Sono canadese.
  I am Canadian. (Said by a male or female)

Stating Your City or Country

To say the city you are from, use Sono di (I am of).

• Sono di Roma.
  I am from Rome.

• Sono di Londra.
  I am from London.

• Sono di New York.
  I am from New York.

To say the country you come from, use Vengo da (I come from).

• Vengo dall’Italia.
  I come from Italy.

• Vengo dagli Stati Uniti.
  I come from the United States.

• Vengo dall’Inghilterra.
  I come from England.

Asking for Someone’s Origin

Informal:

• Di dove sei?
  Where are you from? (Asks for the city)

• Da dove vieni?
  Where do you come from? (Usually asks for the country)

Formal:

• Di dov’è?
  Where are you from?

• Da dove viene?
  Where do you come from?

Examples in Context:

• Di dove sei, Luca?
  Where are you from, Luca?

• Sono di Milano, ma ora vivo a Roma.
  I am from Milan, but now I live in Rome.

• Scusi, da dove viene?
  Excuse me, where do you come from? (Formal)

• Vengo dal Canada. Sono canadese.
  I come from Canada. I am Canadian.

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Part 3: Asking and Stating Your Profession

Talking about your job in Italian is slightly different from English. While you can say “I am a [profession]”, Italians very frequently use the verb fare (to do / to make) to state their job.

When you use fare, you must use the definite article (the equivalent of “the” in English).

Stating Your Profession

Using fare (To do):

• Faccio l’insegnante.
  I am a teacher. (Literally: I do the teacher).

• Faccio il medico.
  I am a doctor.

• Faccio l’avvocato.
  I am a lawyer.

• Faccio l’ingegnere.
  I am an engineer.

Using essere (To be) — Notice that we do not use “a/an” (un/una) like we do in English, unless you add an adjective:

• Sono studente.
  I am a student. (Said by a male)

• Sono studentessa.
  I am a student. (Said by a female)

• Sono cameriere.
  I am a waiter.

• Sono un bravo cuoco.
  I am a good cook. (Notice we use “un” here because of the adjective “bravo”).

Asking for Someone’s Profession

Informal:

• Che lavoro fai?
  What is your job? (Literally: What work do you do?)

• Cosa fai nella vita?
  What do you do for a living? (Literally: What do you do in life?)

Formal:

• Che lavoro fa?
  What is your job?

• Cosa fa nella vita?
  What do you do for a living?

Examples in Context:

• Che lavoro fai?
  What is your job?

• Faccio il giornalista. E tu?
  I am a journalist. And you?

• Io sono studentessa all’università.
  I am a student at the university.

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Part 4: Putting It All Together (Full Dialogues)

Now let’s see how all of these elements flow together in real conversations.

Dialogue 1: An Informal Introduction (Meeting at a party)

• Ciao! Io mi chiamo Matteo.
  Hi! My name is Matteo.

• Ciao Matteo, sono Elena. Piacere!
  Hi Matteo, I am Elena. Nice to meet you!

• Piacere mio. Di dove sei, Elena?
  My pleasure. Where are you from, Elena?

• Sono di Firenze. E tu, da dove vieni?
  I am from Florence. And you, where do you come from?

• Vengo dalla Spagna, sono spagnolo. Ma vivo qui in Italia.
  I come from Spain, I am Spanish. But I live here in Italy.

• Che bello! Che lavoro fai?
  How nice! What is your job?

• Faccio l’architetto. Tu cosa fai nella vita?
  I am an architect. What do you do for a living?

• Faccio l’insegnante di inglese.
  I am an English teacher.

Dialogue 2: A Formal Introduction (Meeting at a business conference)

• Buongiorno, mi chiamo Alessandro Conti.
  Good morning, my name is Alessandro Conti.

• Buongiorno Signor Conti, io sono Barbara Neri. Molto piacere.
  Good morning Mr. Conti, I am Barbara Neri. Very nice to meet you.

• Piacere. Di dov’è, Signora Neri?
  Nice to meet you. Where are you from, Mrs. Neri?

• Sono di Napoli, ma vengo dall’ufficio di Milano. E Lei?
  I am from Naples, but I come from the Milan office. And you?

• Io sono americano, vengo da Boston.
  I am American, I come from Boston.

• Ah, interessante. Che lavoro fa?
  Ah, interesting. What is your job?

• Faccio il direttore marketing. Lei cosa fa?
  I am the marketing director. What do you do?

• Faccio l’avvocato per l’azienda.
  I am the lawyer for the company.

A Short Monologue for Practice

You can use a template like this to practice introducing yourself in the mirror!

• Ciao a tutti!
  Hello everyone!

• Mi chiamo David.
  My name is David.

• Vengo dall’Australia e sono di Sydney.
  I come from Australia and I am from Sydney.

• Quindi, sono australiano.
  Therefore, I am Australian.

• Nella vita faccio il fotografo.
  In life, I am a photographer.

• Piacere di conoscervi!
  Nice to meet you all!

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