In an earlier post you learned how to say your own name and ask directly what somebody else is called:
Quid nōmen tibi est?
> Nōmen mihi [Mārcus] est.
The phrases literally mean "What name is it to you?" and "The name to me is ..." i.e. What's your name? / My name is ...
To talk about the name of somebody else, you simply have to change one word:
Quid eī nōmen est? eī means 'to him / to her' and so the question and answer become:
Quid eī nōmen est? What is his / her name? There is no distinction in gender for the pronoun eī.
Nōmen eī Mārcus est. His name is Marcus.
Nōmen eī Flāvia est. Her name is Flavia.
Remember that Latin word order is flexible and so you will come across variants of the above, for example:
Nōmen eī Mārcus est.
Eī nōmen Mārcus est.
Nōmen eī est Mārcus.
Take a look at the dialogue below, and apply it to your own friends and family.
A: Salvē! Hello!
B: Salvus sīs! Quid agis? How are you?
A: Bene, grātiās tibi agō. Et tū? (I'm) well, thanks. And you?
B: Optimē, grātiās. Quid nōmen tibi est? Excellent, thanks. What's your name?
A: Nōmen mihi Quīntus est. Et tū? My name's Quintus. And you?
B: Nōmen mihi Iūlia est. Quid est hoc? My name is Julia. What's this?
A: Haec est pictūra. This is a picture.
A: Quis est in pictura? Who's in the picture?
B: Hic puer est amīcus meus. This boy is my friend.
A: Quid nōmen eī est? What's his name?
B: Nōmen eī ... est. His name's ....
A: Et quis est haec fēmina? And who is this lady?
B: Haec est magistra mea. She's my teacher.
A: Quid eī nōmen est? What's her name?
B: Nōmen eī ... est. Her name's ...
A: Quis est hic vir? Who is this man?
B: Hic est avunculus meus. Nōmen eī ... est. He's my uncle. His name is ...
Take a look at the image and say who they might be.
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