Questions & Answers about Freut mich! Ich heiße Tom.
Why does the phrase just say Freut mich instead of starting with a word like 'I' or 'it'?
In spoken German, people often drop the first word of the full phrase Es freut mich, which literally means 'It pleases me.' Saying just Freut mich is the casual, natural way to say 'Pleased to meet you!'
Why do we use mich here instead of ich?
Because the underlying sentence is 'It pleases me,' you are the object receiving the action, not the person doing it. Ich means 'I' (the one doing an action), while mich means 'me'.
Does the verb heiße mean 'to be' or 'name'?
Not exactly! The dictionary form of this verb is heißen, which means 'to be called' or 'to be named.' So Ich heiße Tom literally translates to 'I am called Tom,' even though we usually translate it to 'My name is Tom.'
What is the letter ß in heiße and how do I pronounce it?
That letter is called an Eszett or 'sharp S'. It makes a sharp, hissing 's' sound, just like the 'ss' in the English word 'hiss'. If you don't have a German keyboard, it is perfectly acceptable to type it as a double S (heisse).
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