heißen im Präsens & du / Sie
A1 German grammar — Introductions. **heißen** is regular in the present except for the **ß** in *du heißt* and *er/sie/es heißt* (spelling reflects long vo…
Rule explained
**heißen** is regular in the present except for the **ß** in *du heißt* and *er/sie/es heißt* (spelling reflects long vowel + /s/ sound). Asking someone's name: **Wie heißt du?** (informal) vs **Wie heißen Sie?** (formal). The verb ending matches the subject: *du* → *-st*, *Sie* → *-en* (same as *sie* “they”). Answering: *Ich heiße …* works for both registers.
Examples
Use these mini-pairs as templates:
- Wie heißt du? — Ich heiße Nico. — What's your name? — My name is Nico.
- Wie heißen Sie? — Mein Name ist Dr. Hoffmann. — What is your name? — My name is Dr Hoffmann.
- Er heißt Omar. — His name is Omar.
Common mistakes
Watch out for these learner errors:
- *Wie heißen du?* is wrong — *du* needs *heißt*.
- Capital *Sie* only for formal “you”, not for *sie* “she/they”.