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How to Talk About Yourself in French, Beyond the First Hello

Describing your personality, interests, and background in French - the vocabulary and structures for real conversations, not just introductions.

LexiFr Editorial Published 7 min read
How to Talk About Yourself in French, Beyond the First Hello - article illustration

Beyond introducing yourself, French conversations about yourself use je suis + adjective for personality (je suis sociable), j’aime/je m’intéresse à for interests, je viens de/j’ai grandi à for background, and j’espère/je voudrais for goals and plans.

Quick answer

Beyond introducing yourself, French conversations about yourself use je suis + adjective for personality (je suis sociable), j’aime/je m’intéresse à for interests, je viens de/j’ai grandi à for background, and j’espère/je voudrais for goals and plans.

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For the opening lines of a first meeting, see the first-meeting introduction script - this page picks up from there.

Describing your personality

Je suis + adjective: calme, sociable, créatif/créative. See French adjectives for agreement rules.

Talking about interests and hobbies

J’aime, je m’intéresse à, je suis passionné(e) par, j’adore.

Sharing your background

Je viens de…, j’ai grandi à…, je suis originaire de….

[Visual - infographic] Four layers: personality, interests, background, goals, each with an example phrase. ALT: « Four topics for talking about yourself in French ».

Talking about goals and plans

J’espère…, je voudrais + infinitive, mon objectif est de…. For related emotional vocabulary, see emotions in French.

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Frequently asked

Questions about this note

How do you describe your personality in French?

Je suis + adjective: je suis calme, créatif/créative.

How do you talk about your hobbies?

J'aime, je m'intéresse à, je suis passionné(e) par.

How do you say where you're from in a deeper way than your name-intro?

Je viens de… or je suis originaire de….

How do you talk about future goals?

J'espère + infinitive, or je voudrais + infinitive.

What's the difference between this and a basic introduction?

This vocabulary supports ongoing conversation depth, not just the opening lines.

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