Learn French: Comment s'appellent les collègues ? - What are the colleagues' names?

Comment s'appellent les collègues ?

What are the colleagues' names?

Breakdown of Comment s'appellent les collègues ?

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning French now

Questions & Answers about Comment s'appellent les collègues ?

Why is the translation "What are..." if comment means "how"?

In French, you don't ask what someone's name is; you ask how they call themselves. The verb s'appeler means "to call oneself." So literally, this sentence asks "How do the colleagues call themselves?"

How do you pronounce the -ent at the end of s'appellent?

You don't! The -ent ending on French verbs used for plural subjects (like les collègues) is completely silent. You pronounce s'appellent exactly the same way as the singular form, s'appelle.

What does the s' in s'appellent mean?

It is the shortened form of the pronoun se, which means "themselves" in this sentence. Because appellent starts with a vowel, se drops its "e" and becomes s' so it flows smoothly when spoken.

Why does the subject les collègues come at the very end of the sentence?

In short French questions that start with question words like comment (how) or où (where), it is very common to put the subject noun right after the verb. This is just a natural, everyday way to ask the question.