Introduce yourself
Share your name, where you are from, and the language you are learning.
By the end, you can
- State your name and ask another person’s name politely.
- Say where you are from and that you are learning Kannada.
Useful introduction words
WordsSay who you are
ExamplesBuild a name sentence
Kannada often leaves out an explicit word for “is” in simple identity sentences. ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ರವಿ literally gives “my name Ravi,” and the English meaning supplies “is.”
ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ರವಿ.
Nanna hesaru Ravi.
My name is Ravi.
ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ಮೇರಿ.
Nanna hesaru Meri.
My name is Mary.
Meeting someone new
ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ಕಾವ್ಯ. ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರು ಏನು?
Namaskaara. Nanna hesaru Kaavya. Nimma hesaru enu?
Hello. My name is Kavya. What is your name?
ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು ಅರ್ಜುನ್. ನಾನು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನವನು.
Nanna hesaru Arjun. Naanu Bengaloorinavanu.
My name is Arjun. I am from Bengaluru.
ನಾನು ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ.
Naanu Kannada kaliyuttiddene.
I am learning Kannada.
tip
Some identity words reflect gender
Forms such as ಮೈಸೂರಿನವನು and ಮೈಸೂರಿನವಳು differ according to the person being described. You can avoid guessing about someone else by asking ನಿಮ್ಮ ಊರು ಯಾವುದು? — “Which is your hometown?”
Make it yours
Replace the model details with your own and speak the full lines.
01Say “My name is …”›
ನನ್ನ ಹೆಸರು … — nanna hesaru …
02Ask politely, “What is your name?”›
ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹೆಸರು ಏನು? — nimma hesaru enu?
03Say “I am learning Kannada.”›
ನಾನು ಕನ್ನಡ ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆ. — naanu Kannada kaliyuttiddene.
What you can keep
- ನನ್ನ means “my”; ನಿಮ್ಮ means polite “your.”
- A simple name sentence does not need a separate word for “is.”
- You can introduce your name, place, and Kannada learning goal.