Log inSign up

Le prénom et le nom sont importants.

Le prénom et le nom sont importants.
The first name and the last name are important.
From Lesson 19:The verb "to be called" (s'appeler)·French

Questions & Answers about Le prénom et le nom sont importants.

Why does prénom mean 'first name' when nom usually just means 'name'?
It helps to think of the prefix pré- as meaning 'before'. The prénom is the name that comes before your family name! While nom can mean 'name' in general, when filling out forms or introducing your full name, nom specifically means your last name (also called nom de famille).
Since we are learning how to state our names with s'appeler, how do I use nom and prénom with it?
You actually don't! The verb s'appeler means 'to call oneself'. You just say Je m'appelle followed directly by your name (e.g., Je m'appelle Marie). You generally only use the nouns nom and prénom if someone explicitly asks for them, like on a form or by asking Quel est ton prénom ? (What is your first name?).
Why is there an 's' at the end of importants?
Adjectives in French must match the nouns they describe. Because the subject of this sentence is made of two things (Le prénom and le nom), it counts as plural. To make the masculine adjective important plural, we add an s.
Why do we use sont in this sentence?
Sont means 'are'. It is the 'they' form (ils/elles) of the irregular verb être (to be). We use the plural form here because the subject is plural: you are talking about both the first name and the last name together, which acts like a 'they'.

Learn Le prénom et le nom sont importants and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →