When to use it.
Fluencia says we should ask "¿como te llama?" while in spanishDict they use "¿Como se llama". When do you use either?
5 Answers
Hello soraya818,
This situation can be hard to understand to some people, including me at first so let me take some time to explain it.
If you know the present tense conjugations of the verb "llamar" (to call), you are pretty much set. I have included them below just in case!
- Yo llamo
- Tú llamas
- Él/ella/usted llama
- Nosotros/nosotras llamamos
- Vosotros/vosotras llamáis
- Ellos/ellas/ustedes llaman
However, when we use this verb to say what someone or something is called, we use the reflexive form of this verb "llamarse" (to call oneself).
When you are using a reflexive verb, this is what you are doing:
Me levanto (I get myself up)
Me peino (I comb myself)
The "me" which is the reflexive pronoun in these two sentences says to the reader that the action is happening in the first person. But we would usually read the "levanto" or "peino" first so we know who is making these actions happen. Since "levanto" and "peino" are both first person, we know that the action is being caused by the first person and is affecting the first person.
So, after that extremely long explanation, this is my answer:
¿Cómo te llamas? (How are you called? [lit.] or. What is your name?)
¿Cómo se llama? (How is one called? [lit.] or. What is one's name?)
You would use, "¿Cómo te llamas?" if you were asking one person their name.
If you were asking a whole group of people, you would ask, "¿Cómo os llamáis?" but I have never heard that question being asked before.
I am not Spanish so some translations and answers may be slightly inaccurate so please do take in the ideas of other members as well to obtain clarity.
Sorry I put so much information into this answer, I hope this helps you in some way, ¡Buena suerte!
I can only answer from the standpoint of Costa Rica.
Some say the usted form is formal and the tú form is familiar. However, in CR the usted form is normal and the tú form is personal or intimate. One example of mother speaking to her daughter: "¿Adonde pusó el pan? (usted not personal)" and "Eres la mejor. (tú personal)" in the same conversation.
If you are intimate with someone you should already know their name. However, when I asked my wife the different uses she asked me:
"¿Cómo te llamas?" in a seductive voice tone. Like a woman hitting on a man. So in CR use "¿Cómo se llama?" and "¿Cómo te llamas?" with caution because you might send the wrong message.
Pura vida.
Ian:
¿Cómo se llama? = What's it called/how are you called(named)?
¿Cómo te llama? = What's your name? (wrong, without the "s" at the end of "llama"
In this last case it would mean "how does he/she calls/names you" (funny uh?)
¿Cómo te llamas? = What's your name/ How are you called/named.
Hola! Muchas gracias, for all your comments. I reckon I probably should stick to the usted form until I am familiar with the person with whom I am speaking with.
Hello Soray, 
Fluencia says we should ask "¿como te llama?" while in spanishDict they use "¿Como se llama". When do you use either?
Well, as Chileno rightly says: The Spanish do not say "¿como te llama? They would say: "¿como te llamas?
Country: Spain:
Context (is critical!) : Formal situations ie: at work, in interviews etc...
People: when addressing strangers, people in authority eg your boss, teachers, judges, police officers etc... you would use:
¿Cómo se llama Ud? = What is your name?
In informal situations eg "chilling out" (relaxing) amongst friends, or when addressing children, younger people, and family the Spanish use
¿Cómo te llamas? = What is your name? (lit: How do you call yourself?)
The use of the familiar form tú to address people has been gaining popularity in Spain in recent years, especially amoung younger people.
South America: I believe that Ud is very common in many parts of South America
Colombia:
According to the information in Fluencia, the Colombian natives even address one another in families using Ud. I used to know a lady from Colombia who used to attend our church but has returned to her homeland and who also used to teach me Spanish and I remember she told me that you would use Ud until the family had accepted you as a close friend and/or you had been invited to use tú.
Argentina
They use vos here but in a different way from the Spanish natives in Spain. I am no expert so I will leave others to comment.
I am sure that there are other variations in the way that the people from different countries in South America speak ..even regional ones!
I hope this helps
