Appeler vs. s'appeler
The French verbs appeler and 's'appeler' are closely related but are not interchangeable. The key difference lies in the fact that appeler is a standard verb, while 's'appeler' is a pronominal (or reflexive) verb, which changes its meaning and usage significantly.
Appeler
A1This verb means to call. It is used when someone or something is calling another person or thing. It can mean to call someone on the phone, to call out to someone, to summon something (like a taxi), or to give a name to someone or something else.
Je vais appeler mes parents plus tard.
(I am going to call my parents later.)
Le professeur va appeler les étudiants un par un.
(The professor is going to call the students one by one.)
Pouvez-vous appeler un médecin, s'il vous plaît ?
(Can you call a doctor, please?)
Ils ont décidé d'appeler leur fille Chloé.
(They decided to name their daughter Chloé.)
Ses collègues l'appellent 'le patron'.
(His colleagues call him the boss.)
S'appeler
A1This is a pronominal verb that means to be called or to be named. It is used to state one's own name or the name of a person, place, or thing. The verb must be conjugated with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous, se) that agrees with the subject.
Bonjour, je m'appelle Sophie.
(Hello, my name is Sophie.)
Comment s'appelle ton chien ?
(What is your dog's name?)
Comment vous appelez-vous ?
(What is your name?)
Ces deux montagnes s'appellent les 'Dents du Midi'.
(These two mountains are called the Dents du Midi.)
En politique, cela s'appelle une stratégie.
(In politics, that is called a strategy.)
Summary
In short, use appeler when the subject is performing the action of calling or naming someone or something else (e.g., I call him). Use 's'appeler' when the subject itself has a name (e.g., My name is or I am called). The s' in 's'appeler' indicates that the action is reflected back onto the subject.