***there is a quiz at the end of this article***
What are some easy steps to introduce yourself in English?
This topic can be a nightmare for English learners, especially those who are not very good at communication and are not used to situations where they have to talk about themselves. That’s why we’re going to talk about how to introduce yourself in English using very simple expressions that native speakers use in their daily conversations.
It is very important to note that English is just a language. It doesn’t define you as a person, nor does it define your intelligence. So, if your English is not good, this doesn’t have to mean that your communications skills are bad. Communication is a skill, and English is a language. You have to make a difference between these two. Being a good communicator doesn’t mean your language skills are good, and being good at English doesn’t mean that you’re a good communicator.
Let’s take a look at some different ways to introduce ourselves when we meet people for the first time.
How to talk about your name?
Your name is probably the first thing you want to start with when you introduce yourself for the first time. It’s always the first question that comes to mind when someone meets you for the first time. Here are some simple ways to say your name:
- My name is Sheila (full form)/My name’s Sheila (short form)
- I am Sheila (full form)/I’m Sheila (I’m Sheila)
- You can call me Sheila
- I go by Sheila
- People/my friends call me Sheila
- People know me as Sheila
All these expressions are used to talk about your name and what people or your friends call you. You can use one of them to introduce your name.
How to talk about your age?
Some people like to mention their age, and some people don’t. It’s not good to ask people directly about their age because some might not feel comfortable talking about their age. If you think that the person would be happy to mention their age, then you can go ahead and ask them about it. You can use one of the following expressions to talk about your age:
- I am 20 years old (full form)/I’m twenty (short form)
- I’m almost 20 years old.
- I’ll be 20 years old next month.
- I’m in my early twenties/thirties/etc.
- I’m around your age.
You can use one of the expressions above to talk about your age. There are also expressions that you can use if you don’t want to mention your the exact number, but you just want to drop a hint the person you’re talking to about your age.
How to talk about your country?
A lot of people are interested in knowing your place of birth or the place where you come from. This is the most interesting part of a conversation between people who have never met. It’s about introducing your country and talking about what makes it special and what it is famous for. This is the third thing after you mention your name and age, and you can use different expressions to talk about it:
- I’m from Morocco.
- I come from Morocco.
- I’m originally from Morocco.
- I was born in Morocco.
- My hometown is Morocco.
These are some common ways that you can use in your conversation when you want to talk about your place of birth. You can also say something about your country to make the conversation longer and to grab the person’s attention towards your hometown. You can mention something your country is famous for or something unique about your culture etc.
How to talk about your education/job?
When you finish talking about your country, you can start talking about your educational (if you’re still studying) or professional (if you have a job) background. Talking about what you do for a living or your school life can make the conversation more interesting and can keep the listener’s attention. You can talk about your education/job using the following expressions:
Educational backround:
- I majored in English/Linguistics/etc.
- I studied English and translation…
- I graduated with an M.A. in Arts & Communication…
- I spent 3 years studying Spanish at university…
- I didn’t finish my study.
Professional background:
- I work as a programmer/an ophtalmologist.
- I’m a programmer/an ophtalmologist.
- I work for ABC company.
- I’m retired/unemployed.
- I’m looking for a job.
These are very good expressions that you can use when you talk about your educational or professional background to someone. You can choose the expression that describes your background best and then use it in your conversation.
What else can you add about yourself?
You can also talk about your hobbies and the things that you love to do in your free time to make the conversation last longer. Another thing you can talk about is your personality and how you see the world and what you hope to accomplish in the future.
Rememeber that the most important elements in a conversation are the ones we mentioned in the beginning.
I hope this article helped you learn some easy ways to introduce yourself in English. It’s always good to use different expressions every time you introduce yourself to someone because repeating the same words over and over makes you sound boring.
Make sure to take the quiz at the end of this article about gerunds and infinitives to improve your grammar and to test your understanding of this topic. Don’t forget to share your score in the comment section below.
Happy learning!
Gerunds and Infinitives
Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form (gerund or infinitive).
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