Learn French: Ils s'appellent Martin, c'est un nom français. - They are called Martin, it is a French last name.

Ils s'appellent Martin, c'est un nom français.

They are called Martin, it is a French last name.

Breakdown of Ils s'appellent Martin, c'est un nom français.

être

to be

it / this (with être)

français

French

ils

they (masculine/mixed)

Questions & Answers about Ils s'appellent Martin, c'est un nom français.

Why is there an s' before appellent?

S'appeler is what we call a reflexive verb. It literally means "to call oneself". The s' is short for se (themselves) because the verb starts with a vowel. So, ils s'appellent translates literally to "they call themselves".

Do I pronounce the -ent at the end of s'appellent?

No, you don't! The -ent ending on verbs for ils and elles (they) is completely silent in French. You pronounce ils s'appellent almost exactly the same way you pronounce the singular form, il s'appelle.

The English translation says "last name", but doesn't nom just mean "name"?

In everyday French, un nom (or un nom de famille) specifically refers to a person's last name or surname. If you want to talk about a first name, you use the word un prénom. (And yes, Martin is a very common last name in France!)

Why does français come after nom?

Unlike in English, most describing words (adjectives) in French come after the noun they describe. This is a strict rule for adjectives describing nationality, so it must be un nom français (literally "a name French").