Whether speaking or writing, what should you say or write when meeting an English-speaking person for the first time? What phrases should you use to talk about yourself clearly and show interest in the other person?
There are some common phrases and questions you can use to introduce yourself in a clear and friendly way.
In this vocabulary lesson, you will learn simple ways to introduce yourself in English.
Table of contents →
All the vocabulary to introduce yourself in English
Here are 3 basic examples of how to introduce and give basic information about yourself in English:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Hello! How are you? | Common greeting to start a conversation | |
| I’m Neil and I was born in 1988 in London. Now I live in Chicago. | Share your name, birth year, and current city | |
| I’m a teacher, I like music and I’m married. | Mention your job, hobbies, and marital status |
Greetings in English
These greetings will help you start conversations in English at the right time and with the right level of formality. Here is a simple guide for greetings in English:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Hello! | Use any time | |
| Hi! | Less formal than Hello! | |
| Good morning! | Use from noon until early evening | |
| Good afternoon! | Use in the evening | |
| Good evening! | Use in the evening | |
| Good night! | Say when going to bed |
Getting to Know Someone in English
Here are some useful phrases for getting to know someone and engaging in polite conversation:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| How are you? | Common way to ask about someone’s well-being. | |
| I’m fine, thank you. And you? | Polite response to How are you? | |
| Nice to meet you! | Friendly way to greet someone you’ve just met. | |
| It’s a pleasure to meet you! | More formal way to greet someone you’ve just met. | |
| How do you do? | The most formal way to ask how someone is; in this case, you should respond with How do you do? |
Defining Your Identity in English
Here are some phrases to help you effectively introduce yourself and ask for someone’s name:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| I’m Neil Armstrong. | Use I’m followed by your full name for a simple introduction. | |
| My name is Steven Spielberg. | A common way to introduce yourself is by stating your full name. | |
| My first name is Brad and my surname is Pitt. | Surname can also be called last name or family name. | |
| What’s your name? | Standard way to ask for someone’s name in both formal and informal settings. |
Talking About Date and Place of Birth in English
Here are useful phrases for discussing your age, birthday, and place of birth:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| How old are you? | Common way to ask someone’s age. | |
| When’s your birthday? | Ask for the specific date of someone’s birthday. | |
| When were you born? | Use were or was to talk about birth. | |
| Where were you born? | Ask about the place where someone was born. | |
| I’m 46 years old. | Use to express age. | |
| I’m 27. | It’s common to discard years old in casual speech. | |
| I’m turning 47 next month. | Turning means you will be that age soon. | |
| I’m turning 28 next week. | Similar to the previous example, but for a shorter time frame. | |
| I was born on the 30th of April 1968. | Use this format to give a full date of birth (day, month, year). | |
| I was born in 1986. | Used to give only the year of your birth. | |
| I was born in Soweto. | Used to state the place of your birth. |
Discussing Your Geographical Origin and Place of Residence in English
Here are some phrases to talk about where you are from and where you live:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| I’m from Paris. | Use this to say where you are originally from. | |
| I live in London. | Use this to state your current place of residence. | |
| I lived in the USA for 2 years. | Use the past tense to talk about a place where you lived in the past but no longer live. | |
| I have lived in this town for 2 years. | Use the present perfect to describe living somewhere continuously up to the present. For is used followed by a duration. | |
| I have lived in this town since 2019. | Use the present perfect with since to indicate you have lived somewhere starting from a specific date. | |
| I’m French / American / Belgian / Welsh / Scottish / Irish. | Always capitalize nationalities in English. | |
| Where are you from? | Common way to ask about someone’s origin. | |
| Where do you come from? | A slightly more formal way to ask about someone’s origin. | |
| Where do you live? | Standard way to ask where someone currently resides. |
Discussing Your Profession in English
Here are phrases for talking about your job or profession:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| What’s your job? | Common way to ask about someone’s occupation. | |
| What do you do for a living? | A more detailed way to ask about someone’s job. | |
| What do you do? | For a living is implied here. Informal way to ask about someone’s profession. | |
| I work as an engineer. | Use work as followed by the determiner a or an before the profession to describe your job. | |
| I’m a teacher. | Use I’m a followed by the profession for a simple job description. |
Listing Your Passions and Hobbies in English
Here are phrases to describe your interests and activities:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| What are your hobbies? | Standard way to ask about someone’s interests. | |
| What is your favorite pastime? | A slightly more formal way to ask about someone’s favorite activities. | |
| I like music. | Use like to show a general interest in something without going as far as passion. | |
| I enjoy dancing. | Use enjoy followed by a verb in -ING to express a strong interest. Conversely, like and love can be followed by a verb in -ING as well as an infinitive verb with to. | |
| I’m into opera and antiques. | Into shows a personal interest or passion. | |
| I love cycling. | Use love to express a strong passion for an activity that is really close to your heart. |
State Your Family Status in English
Here are phrases to describe your family status in English:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| I’m married. | Use married to describe being in a legally recognised union. | |
| I’ve been married for 12 years. | Use the present perfect with for and duration to show you are still married. | |
| I’ve been married since 2001. | Use the present perfect with since and a date to show you are still married. | |
| I was married for 7 years, but I’m single now. | Use the past tense to describe a previous marriage and current status. | |
| I’m single. | Use single to describe not being married or in a relationship. | |
| I’m divorced. | Use divorced to describe having ended a marriage. | |
| I’ve been divorced 8 years now. | Use the present perfect with now to describe the duration since your divorce. | |
| I’m a widow / a widower. | Widow for females and widower for males describe someone whose spouse has passed away. | |
| I have 2 children. | Use children for a more formal or general term. | |
| I have 3 kids. | Kids is a more casual way to refer to children. | |
| I don’t have any children. | Use this to state that you have no children. |
Thanking Someone for Their Attention in English
Here are phrases for thanking someone and ending a conversation in English:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Thank you! | A basic and polite way to express gratitude. | |
| Thanks for listening! | Show appreciation for someone’s attention or time. | |
| That’s it! | Informal way to indicate that you have finished speaking. | |
| What about you? | Ask for the other person’s opinion or status in a casual manner. | |
| How about you? | A slightly more formal way to ask the same thing as What about you?. |
Example of a Presentation in English
Here is a simple example of how to introduce yourself in English:
| Example | Notes 💡 | Audio |
|---|---|---|
| Hello, my name is Paul and I’m 45 years old. | Start with a greeting and state your name and age. | |
| I’m French and I live in France near Paris. | Mention your nationality and where you live. | |
| I was born in Montpellier but my parents moved to Paris when I was 13. | Share where you were born and any major moves you’ve made. | |
| I’m a Spanish teacher, and I’ve been teaching for 20 years now. | Talk about your job and how long you have been working in your profession. | |
| I met my first wife when I was 25. We were married for 10 years then we divorced. | Explain your marital history briefly, including past marriages and current status. | |
| I’ve been married for the second time for 2 years now and we have 3 children. | Describe your current marital status and your family, including the number of children. | |
| I like watching soccer on TV and playing tennis. | Share your hobbies and interests. | |
| What about you? | Ask the other person to share information about themselves. |
Presentation to Complete
Here is a short text to help you introduce yourself in English. Fill in the blanks to complete your introduction:
- Hello, my name is ……….. and I’m ……… years old.
- I’m ……… and I live in ………..
- I’m a ………………………, and I’ve been ………………. for ……………… years now.
- I’m …………………….. (married / single / divorced / a widow)
- I have ……….. children.
- I like…………………… and …………………………………..
- What about you ?
