Introducing Yourself and Small Talk in English
Do more with this exercise
These are useful phrases for meeting new people. Read each phrase and its short dialogue, then do the exercises. Say the phrases out loud: spoken English is short and natural.
Hello and goodbye
Good morning.Say it to say hello before 12 o'clock.
“Good morning, Mr Lee.” “Good morning, Anna.”
Hi, I'm Ana.Say it to say hello and tell your name.
“Hi, I'm Ana.” “Hi, Ana. I'm Tom.”
Nice to meet you.Say it when you meet a person for the first time.
“This is my friend, Sam.” “Nice to meet you, Sam.”
Nice to meet you, too.Say it to answer when someone says nice to meet you.
“Nice to meet you, Ana.” “Nice to meet you, too.”
How are you?Ask it to a person you know. It is a polite question.
“Hi, Leo! How are you?” “I'm fine, thanks.”
I'm fine, thanks. And you?Say it to answer how are you, and ask the same question.
“How are you?” “I'm fine, thanks. And you?”
See you later.Say it to say goodbye when you will see the person again soon.
“I have class now. See you later!” “Bye, Ben!”
Introducing yourself and other people
Let me introduce myself.Say it before you tell your name to a new person.
“Let me introduce myself. I'm Rosa.”
Call me Alex.Say it to tell people the short name you like.
“My name is Alexandra, but call me Alex.”
This is my brother, Pablo.Say it to introduce a person to someone.
“Anna, this is my brother, Pablo.” “Hi, Pablo!”
Do you know my sister?Ask it to see if two people know each other.
“Do you know my sister?” “No, I don't.”
What's your name?Ask it to know a person's name.
“What's your name?” “My name's Marta.”
Sorry, what's your name again?Ask it when you forget a name.
“Sorry, what's your name again?” “It's Lena.”
How do you spell that?Ask it when you don't know the letters of a word or a name.
“My name is Kasia.” “How do you spell that?” “K-A-S-I-A.”
Small talk: where and what
Where are you from?Ask it to know a person's country or city.
“Where are you from?” “I'm from Chile.”
I'm from Brazil.Say it to tell your country or city.
“Where are you from?” “I'm from Brazil.”
Where do you live?Ask it to know where a person's home is.
“Where do you live?” “I live in Lima.”
What do you do?Ask it to know a person's job or study.
“What do you do?” “I'm a nurse.”
I'm a student.Say it to tell your job or your study.
“What do you do?” “I'm a student.”
I'm learning English.Say it to tell people you study English.
“Your English is good!” “Thanks! I'm learning English.”
Do you like it here?Ask it to a person in a new place.
“Do you like it here?” “Yes, I love it.”
Mine, yours and yourself
Is this seat free?Ask it before you sit next to a person.
“Excuse me, is this seat free?” “Yes, please sit down.”
Is this bag yours?Ask it when you find a thing and you want to know the owner.
“Is this bag yours?” “Yes, it's mine. Thank you!”
Yes, it's mine.Say it when a thing is yours.
“Is this your pen?” “Yes, it's mine.”
No, it's hers.Say it when a thing is not yours. It is a woman's.
“Is this your phone?” “No, it's hers.”
Help yourself.Say it to a guest: take some food or a drink, it is free.
“There is some cake. Help yourself.” “Thank you!”
Make yourself at home.Say it to a guest in your house: be comfortable.
“Come in! Make yourself at home.”
Practice exercises
Match the Phrase and the Situation
Match each phrase with the situation.
Choose a word on the left, then its match on the right.
What Do You Say?
Choose the best phrase for each situation.
7.You meet your friend's mother for the first time. What do you say?
8.“How are you?” “___”
9.You don't hear a new name well. What do you say?
10.“___” “I'm a teacher.”
11.You want to sit next to a person on the bus. What do you say?
12.“Where are you from?” “___”
13.“Is this pen yours?” “Yes, it's ___.”
Complete the Dialogue
Type the missing word.
How to meet people and make small talk in English
When you meet a new person, the first words are short and always about the same things: hello, your name, and a polite sentence. Say Hi, I'm Ana. Nice to meet you. The other person answers with Nice to meet you, too. When you introduce a friend, say This is my brother, Pablo.
After the first hello, people usually make small talk. Small talk is a short, easy conversation about simple things: where you are from, where you live, what you do. The questions are Where are you from? Where do you live? What do you do? Ask them with a smile, and then ask the same question back with And you?
At a party or at someone's home you also need a few polite phrases. Is this seat free? is a good way to start a conversation. A host says Help yourself and Make yourself at home. When a thing is yours, say it's mine. When you don't know the owner, ask Is this bag yours?
Here is a short model dialogue. Ana: Hi, I'm Ana. Tom: Hi, Ana. I'm Tom. Nice to meet you. Ana: Nice to meet you, too. Where are you from, Tom? Tom: I'm from Brazil. And you? Ana: I'm from Chile. I live here now, and I'm learning English!
Frequently asked questions
What do I say when I meet someone for the first time?
Say hello, tell your name and say Nice to meet you. For example: Hi, I'm Ana. Nice to meet you. The other person usually answers Nice to meet you, too.
How do I answer How are you?
How are you? is often just a polite hello, so keep your answer short: I'm fine, thanks. And you? You can also say Good, thanks or Not bad. People do not expect a long answer.
Can I say Nice to meet you when I know the person?
No. Nice to meet you is for the first meeting. For a person you know, say How are you? or Good to see you.
Is What do you do? a rude question?
No. In English, What do you do? is a normal small-talk question about a person's job. The answer is short: I'm a nurse, or I'm a student.
Answer key
1. Nice to meet you.
Answer: You meet a person for the first time.
We say nice to meet you the first time we meet a person.
2. See you later.
Answer: You say goodbye and you will see the person soon.
See you later is a friendly goodbye. You expect to see the person again.
3. How do you spell that?
Answer: You don't know the letters of a name.
Use how do you spell that? to ask for the letters of a word or a name.
4. Help yourself.
Answer: You offer food to a guest.
We say help yourself to a guest: it means take what you want.
5. Is this seat free?
Answer: You want to sit next to a person.
Ask is this seat free? before you sit down next to someone.
6. What do you do?
Answer: You ask about a person's job.
What do you do? is a small-talk question about work or study.
7. You meet your friend's mother for the first time. What do you say?
Answer: Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you is for a first meeting. See you later is a goodbye, and help yourself is for food.
8. “How are you?” “___”
Answer: I'm fine, thanks. And you?
Answer how are you? with a short feeling, like I'm fine, thanks, and ask the same question back.
9. You don't hear a new name well. What do you say?
Answer: Sorry, what's your name again?
Sorry, what's your name again? is the polite way to ask for a name for a second time.
10. “___” “I'm a teacher.”
Answer: What do you do?
I'm a teacher gives a job, so the question is what do you do?
11. You want to sit next to a person on the bus. What do you say?
Answer: Is this seat free?
Is this seat free? asks if you can sit there.
12. “Where are you from?” “___”
Answer: I'm from Mexico.
Where are you from? asks for a country or a city, so you answer I'm from…
13. “Is this pen yours?” “Yes, it's ___.”
Answer: mine
After it's we use mine when we don't say the noun. My needs a noun: it's my pen.
14. “This is my friend, Mia.” “Nice to ___ you.”
Answer: meet
The phrase is nice to meet you.
15. “Hi, I'm Pablo. ___ your name?”
Answer: What's
We ask for a name with what's your name? (what is your name?).
16. “Where do you ___?” “I live in Lima.”
Answer: live
The question is where do you live? After do you, we use the base verb: live.
17. “There is some cake. ___ yourself.”
Answer: Help
Help yourself means take what you want.
18. “Is this your phone?” “Yes, it's ___.”
Answer: mine
Use mine for something that is yours, when you don't say the noun.
19. “Let me ___ myself. I'm Lucia.”
Answer: introduce
Let me introduce myself is a polite way to say your name to a new person.