Ich heiße Maria.

My name is Maria.

Breakdown of Ich heiße Maria.

• ich: I
• Maria: Maria
• heißen: to say

Questions & Answers about Ich heiße Maria.

Why is it Ich heiße Maria and not Ich bin Maria?

Both are correct, but they focus on slightly different things:

• Ich heiße Maria.
  Literally: I am called Maria.
  This is the standard way to introduce yourself in German, especially when first meeting someone.

• Ich bin Maria.
  Literally: I am Maria.
  Also correct, but sounds a bit more like you are identifying yourself in a context where people might already know of you (for example, in a group where someone is looking for Maria and you say Ich bin Maria).

In everyday introductions, Ich heiße Maria is usually the most natural first sentence, and Ich bin Maria often follows in more specific contexts or to confirm your identity.

What does heiße literally mean?

The verb heißen means to be called or to be named.

• Infinitive: heißen
• Ich heiße Maria. → I am called Maria. / My name is Maria.

So heiße is the ich (I) form of heißen in the present tense. The sentence is literally I am-called Maria, which is very close to English I am called Maria, but is used more commonly in German than that phrasing is in English.

What is the infinitive of heiße, and how is it conjugated?

The infinitive is heißen.

Present tense conjugation:

• ich heiße – I am called
• du heißt – you (informal singular) are called
• er/sie/es heißt – he/she/it is called
• wir heißen – we are called
• ihr heißt – you (informal plural) are called
• sie heißen – they are called
• Sie heißen – you (formal singular or plural) are called

So in Ich heiße Maria, the ending -e shows that the subject is ich (I).

Why does heiße use ß instead of ss?

The letter ß (called Eszett or scharfes S) represents a voiceless s sound, similar to ss.

Rule of thumb in standard German spelling:

• After a long vowel or diphthong, you usually write ß.
  Example: heißen (the ei is a diphthong) → heiße.
• After a short vowel, you usually write ss.
  Example: müssen (short ü) → muss.

So heiße (from heißen) uses ß because ei is a long vowel sound (a diphthong).

Note:

• In Switzerland and Liechtenstein, ß is not used; they write heisse instead of heiße.
• In Germany and Austria, heiße with ß is the standard spelling.

How do you pronounce Ich heiße Maria?

Approximate pronunciation (in English-like terms):

• Ich:
  The ch is a soft, breathy sound made high in the mouth, not like English k or ch in church.
  It’s similar to the h in the English word hue, but stronger and more friction.
  IPA: [ɪç]

• heiße:
  ei sounds like English eye.
  ß sounds like s in see.
  IPA: [ˈhaɪ̯sə]

• Maria:
  Very similar to English Maria, but with clearer vowels:
  IPA: [maˈʁiːa] (the r is more guttural, pronounced in the back of the throat).

Whole sentence in IPA: [ɪç ˈhaɪ̯sə maˈʁiːa].

Why is Ich capitalized, and is that always the case?

Yes, Ich (I) is always capitalized in correct German spelling, no matter where it appears in a sentence.

Examples:

• Ich heiße Maria.
• Morgen gehe ich nach Berlin.

This is different from English, where I is also always capitalized, but many other pronouns are not.

So:

• Ich is always capitalized.
• Other subject pronouns like du, er, sie, es, wir, ihr, sie are not capitalized in the middle of a sentence (unless they start the sentence or are part of a formal Sie).

Why is Maria capitalized?

All nouns in German are capitalized, and that includes proper names (names of people, cities, etc.).

• Maria is a person’s name → always capitalized.
• Even common nouns like Haus (house), Auto (car), Name (name) are capitalized in German.

So in Ich heiße Maria, Maria is capitalized because it is a proper noun (a name), just as in English.

Is heißen a reflexive verb? Why don’t we say something like Ich heiße mich Maria?

No, heißen is not used reflexively in German in this meaning.

• You simply say: Ich heiße Maria. → Literally: I am called Maria.
• You do not say: Ich heiße mich Maria. (That would sound wrong to a native speaker.)

In German, heißen works like to be called in English when talking about names:

• English: I am called Maria.
• German: Ich heiße Maria.

Even though the idea in English might feel similar to I call myself Maria, German does not add a reflexive pronoun here.

When should I say Ich heiße Maria versus Mein Name ist Maria?

Both are correct ways to introduce yourself, but they have slightly different flavors:

• Ich heiße Maria.
  Most common, neutral, natural in almost all contexts (informal and formal).
  Used in everyday conversations, classes, introductions, etc.

• Mein Name ist Maria.
  Literally: My name is Maria.
  Sounds a bit more formal or official.
  Common in:

  • business or official settings
  • on the phone in a very polite context
  • when you want to emphasize the name itself (for example, spelling it afterwards)

In casual conversation, learners are usually fine just using Ich heiße … as their default.

Could I say Maria heiße ich instead of Ich heiße Maria?

Yes, Maria heiße ich is grammatically correct, but it has a different emphasis and is much less common as a neutral introduction.

• Ich heiße Maria.
  Neutral, normal word order: subject (Ich) – verb (heiße) – name (Maria).

• Maria heiße ich.
  This structure puts Maria at the beginning for emphasis.
  It can sound like:

  • you are correcting someone,
  • or emphasizing the name after a contrast.

Example context:

• Someone misheard your name and asks again, or you want to stress it:
  Maria heiße ich, nicht Marie.
  (My name is Maria, not Marie.)

For a standard first introduction, use Ich heiße Maria.