Je me présente

                Introductions are very important in every individual. It differentiates us from other people, makes us unique, and gives us an identity. Imagine people being called by the word “Hoy!” or “Hey!” or “Excuse me” without a proper name, then that would really be frustrating.

                This is our first lesson in French – introducing yourself. Well, French class, like any European language classes, start by breaking the ice. We get to know our classmates names, but this time we don’t use English. And since this is in fact a French class, there’s only one option – use French! How? It’s simple.

                First , we need to know the basic pronouns like je, tu, il/elle.

Anglais	Français
I	Je
You	Tu
Him/Her	Il/Elle

                Simple, right? Next, we’re introduced with the next term – appeler. Well, as you might predict when you’ve taken any European language course, this is definitely a word meaning “say” or “call.” Then, you’re right! And, it comes with your matching conjugations:

Anglais	Français
I call myself	Je m’appelle
You call yourself	Tu t’appelles
He/She calls himself/herself	Il/Elle s’appelle
You call youself (formal)	Vous vous appelez

                Does it get harder? Well, for me this was the easiest topic of all! Notice that the pronouns: je, tu, il, elle, and the new pronoun vous (which is used for formal conversations or plural form) were placed at the start of the phrase and followed by letters such as m, t, and s with apostrophes and then the verb appelle which comes in unique forms. Let us first observe and dissect the first one: Je m’appelle.

Je                    m’                appelle

I                    myself                   call

                Like in Spanish, French grammar does not look like that of the English. Imagine the Spanish phrase “Yo te amo,” which means “I love you,” but the direct translation would be “I you love.” Same goes for French, the pronouns are placed in front, while followed by the verb and other succeeding words or concepts.

                Next, notice that the verb is conjugated differently in each case. Unlike English, Other European language uses conjugations. Use this simple rule: Words using “je” end in “e”; words with “tu” end in “es”; words with “il/elle” end in “e”; and words with “vous” end in “ez.” Then, just add your name or someone else's name at the end like: Je m'appelle Sherwin or Il s'appelle John.
                Lastly, to ask for the name of a person, just add the word "Comment," which means "how." For example, "Comment tu t'appelles?" which means "How do you call yourself?" And, take note that it comes in many forms:
                        Informal:       Comment tu t'appelles?
                                            Comment t'appelles-tu?
                                            Tu t'appelle comment?
                        Formal:         Comment vous vous appelez?
                                             Vous vous appelez comment?
                                             Comment vous appelez-vous?
                Having a hard time? Well, it’s time to memorize and familiarize. Practice makes prefect.
                Have fun! Bonne etudie!