Tell me about yourself! Introduce yourself in English with EASE!

Well hi, I'm Emma from mmmEnglish. Today I am going to teach you how to present

yourself

effectively. And there are three reasons why it is so important to learn this skill. Of course, we have to show up all the time, right? In many different contexts. So taking the time to make a good presentation will help and benefit you time and time again. And when you meet someone new, you'll probably feel a little nervous. It's totally normal, right? But if you can start off right, it will help you feel more confident when approaching the rest of the conversation.

Therefore, getting that first introduction right is very important. And of course, if you can present

yourself

clearly and confidently, you'll make a great first impression on the people you meet. This will help you build great relationships, make friends and be liked, which really, deep down, is what we all want. Ideally, you should be watching this video with your notebook handy so you can take some notes as you go. You can listen to me talk about how to

introduce

yourself as much as you want, but if you don't start playing with the language and ideas I'm sharing today to make them useful and relevant to you, what's the point?

So if you showed up today and are ready to participate in this lesson, let me know in the comments, I'm so excited to get started. And of course, if you can think of any friends or colleagues who also need to work on this skill, share this lesson with them, be sure to subscribe, and let's get started! Imagine hearing this question: Tell us about yourself. And feel calm, collected and collected as you respond. That's exactly what we're working towards today. Not only do we want to answer this question easily, but we also want to do it accurately.

There are many different places and contexts in which you may need to present yourself. Some of them are formal, some are really informal. So knowing your context and your audience is extremely important, I can't emphasize this enough. It's very important. And adjusting the introduction slightly to those different situations is a really powerful skill to learn. Because it can be useful to talk about your education and your profession in some contexts, but I really miss bringing that up at a party, right? As if that's a good way to bore someone to tears. So let's start today with its introduction.

And how do we start? We start very simply and casually with your name. I'm Emma or I'm Emma. Now, in most situations, it's much more natural to use the contraction I'm Emma, ​​it sounds much more relaxed that way. You can also say: My name is Emma. Or my name is Emma. Simple, right? You have this. Now what if you have a favorite name or nickname? It's always good to let the person you're addressing know from the beginning, right? And an informal way to do it is to say: All my friends call me My name is Beatrice, but all my friends call me Bee.

A slightly more formal way to do it is to say: My name is Ybiskay, but some people find it hard to say, so you can call me Ybis. This is a really great expression to write down if people find it really hard to say your name. Maybe it's a long name, maybe it's not a very common name where you live. You get tired of having to explain it over and over again. So, as long as you don't mind, this is a great way to

introduce

your name or a version of your name that you would like to be called.

The next basic information to include is something about the location. It could have to do with where you live now or where you are originally from. And there are many different ways to compile this type of information. So I'll give you a few different ways to do it here, but it's up to you to choose which version works best for your story. Well, experiment and play around with some of these combinations. I'm from australia. And again, I'm using that contracted form here because I'm from Australia, it sounds a little bit stiff, you know, to sound more relaxed and more natural, say: I'm from your country or the name of your city, could I? be so much You could say: I am and the adjective of your nationality, then I am Australian.

Turkish, Vietnamese, Brazilian. These are all examples of nationality adjectives. And these nationality adjectives are usually different from the name of the country, right? Therefore, you must be careful to use the correct form of the word with each of these expressions. We don't say: I'm from Australia. Or I'm Australia. Now if you said: I'm from Melbourne. It's actually not very clear if that's where you live now or where you're originally from. So if you're not from the place you're at while you're presenting, then you could say, I come from a place, you know, and we use this when there's a little bit of distance between where you are now. and wherever that place is then it could be another city or another country.

But if you want to be clearer, all you need to do is choose some more specific verbs. You could say: I was born in, with the toponym. I was born in Melbourne. I grew up or was raised in. Or even, I spent my childhood in and the name of a place, so this talks about when you were a child, where you were, what you did, it's an interesting way to bring that part of your life. And they all express a very similar idea so you can choose how to use them. I was born in Australia and spent my childhood in various cities on the east coast.

I'm originally from Melbourne but now based in Perth. So if you want to say how long you've been living in your current location, it's the perfect opportunity to use the present perfect. I have lived in Perth since 2016. I have lived in Perth for the last four years. Or you could also say: I moved to Perth a few years ago. Honestly, there are so many different ways to express this information. I could keep going! And I'm sure many of these structures are very familiar to you, but as you prepare your introduction, pay close attention to the story you are

tell

ing.

And take the time to make sure you express your ideas accurately. And once you write your introduction, you can add it in the comments below. I'll check out as many as I can and make sure they sound amazing. Speaking of your name, your location, these are the basics. And like I said before, if you can do this part well and can say it very naturally as soon as you're asked, then this will prepare you very well for what comes next. And what comes next really depends on the context, so I have a few different options for you to consider here.

For example, if you are introducing yourself to a new neighbor, you may choose to focus more on your family. But if you're appearing at a job interview, you could obviously talk about work-related experience. And if you show up for an English class, you can focus on your hobbies and interests, things that will help the other people in your class connect with you and, you know, reveal your shared interests. Now you might want to talk a little about your family when you introduce yourself. And how much information you share here is up to you, what you feel comfortable sharing.

We want to be careful not to share too much, you know, boring someone with your whole family history, unless they ask because they're particularly interested. But if you are married you would say: We have been married since and a time or a date. I have been married to my husband since August of last year. For example. Now, if he is not married but still wants to mention the length of your relationship, you can say: We have been together for a period of time. Okay, we've been together. In the context of a relationship, that indicates the length of your relationship.

I always find it difficult to talk about my relationship with my partner in English because we don't really have many words to describe it. My partner Shah and I have been together for eleven years. We're committed, but we've been for about six or seven years. So we have no plans to get married, so he will never be my husband. I can introduce him as my fiancé, but they always ask me: When is the wedding? You know, what are your plans? And of course, we don't have any so the conversation gets really boring. And after eleven years of being together, the word boyfriend is really frivolous and not particularly useful, so I usually call him my partner.

But in our situation, we are also business partners and in that context, things can also get very confusing. So if you want to talk about the family you live with, you could say something like: We are a family of five. I live here with my family. We are a family of five. But if you're talking about the family you grew up in, then you have to clarify, you have to say: I grew up in a family of five. Now that the information is pretty general, it could be a single parent and four kids, or it could be two parents and three kids, it's pretty vague.

If you have children you want to talk about, say: I have a seven-year-old son. I am a single father. I am a mother of twins. And it's really nice to add some comments about the family members, just to make it a little more interesting. You could say: I am a single mother. I have twin girls, they are five years old. And they just started school this year, so it's been very exciting for us! And the reason adding a little bit of this type of information is so great is because it gives the person you're talking to hints and clues to help them continue the conversation in a really positive way.

You know they might ask: What school do they go to? Or maybe comment and say: You know, now that they're in school, you must feel like you have a lot of time to yourself again? Something like that. When you talk about your brothers and sisters, of course you can say: I have three sisters. But it's a bit complicated to say: I have two brothers and three sisters. Good? So, we use the word brothers to talk about brothers and sisters, it is quite general. Two brothers and a sister would equal three siblings. I have three brothers. Now when you say that, it doesn't include you.

Well, you're talking about the other children in your family. If you want to include it, say: I am one of four brothers. And if you don't have siblings, then you are an only child. I am an only child. You may also want to talk about your extended family. This is a really great expression to use when talking about aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. By saying extended family, you include them all, you don't have to go into detail about who and how many, and all that kind of stuff. I live in Perth, but most of my family lives in Melbourne.

But saying extended family means you don't need to list everyone, right? Therefore, you may want to talk about interests or hobbies that you do outside of work. We'll talk about work in a second, so don't get ahead of yourself. But to talk about hobbies, you could say: I enjoy a noun. I enjoy baking. Don't say: I enjoy baking. Good? Enjoy as a verb is always followed by a noun and this is a gerund, okay? You can always say like or love with a noun. That's why I love playing soccer, for example. But the verbs gustar and amar can be followed by a gerund or the infinitive verb and the meaning remains the same.

Then you can also say: I love playing soccer. The meaning is exactly the same. You could say: I'm really interested in something. And this is a really great and very natural way to talk about the things you like. I really like jazz music. Now having a couple of interesting things to include about yourself in your introduction is very useful in many different contexts. If you have ever been part of an English class or some other meeting where you have to meet people for the first time, then the teacher will often suggest that we go around the room and you will have to introduce yourself.

Tell us your name, where you're from and something interesting about yourself. It's always good to have something ready to answer this question, maybe you have a special talent, an interesting hobby or a unique achievement that you can share in the situation. And a fun way to introduce it is to say: One thing you may not know about me is One thing you may not know about me is that I love having dinner parties and will spend entire days preparing and organizing themed events for my friends. . So I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this. See if you can finish the rest of this sentence in the comments below.

One thing you might not know about me is... Of course, you might want to talk about your work, right? So when you talk about your work, when you talk about your work in your introduction, you're usually just sharing what you do and maybe who you work for. And again, there are many different ways to talk about your work, the company, etc. But what we really want to do today is make sure that you do it accurately. The prepositions and articles are really difficult to understand in this section, it can be a little complicated, so I hope that you are definitely taking notes as we go and that you are applying the information that I am sharing now to your situation.

Of course you could say: I'm a or a and a job. Your job title is a count noun, so this means it must include an article. I am a graphic designer. I am an engineer. Just make sure you don't say: I'm an engineer. That's wrong, okay? And if there is only one of your roles within your company, then you can definitely use the defined item, the. Well, I talk more about definite articles andundefined here in this video. But you could say I'm the CEO of a technology company. Or I own a flower shop. You could also talk generally about the field or industry you work in.

I work in and industry. I work in marketing. I work on the construction. I work in design. Now, if you want to say what company employs you, you can use at or for with the company name. So you could say: I work at Vogue. Or I work in an architecture studio. Or work for the government. Are you self-employed? Are you your own boss? Well, in this case you could say: self-employed. I am self-employed. Or I have my own business. And here's a little clue. If you're not sure how to talk about your work in your industry, in relation to your industry, listen to other people in your industry introduce themselves.

A lot of TedTalks or a lot of relevant industry videos where you can hear people present themselves in that context and learn from them. You may want to talk about education or your qualifications in your presentation and this is more common in a professional context, maybe in an interview or, you know, in a work context. And again, there are many different ways to do this. You could say: I have a degree in an industry. like architecture or design. I have a bachelor's degree in engineering. You can also say: I am qualified with your job. I am a qualified engineer.

I am a qualified architect. Now notice that I'm using the job title and not the industry there, okay? It sounds similar to saying I am an architect but the difference is that the qualified adjective clarifies your status. Add it if you consider it important to clarify given the context. Maybe in an interview it will be relevant. But you don't need to

tell

someone at a party that you're a qualified engineer, okay? In that context, you would simply say: I am an engineer. If you are studying at university now, some of these expressions will be really useful to you.

I am studying with the industry. I am studying environmental sciences. Or it could also be the name of your title. I am studying applied sciences. I'm completing a PhD and whatever the area of ​​research is, maybe it's public health. I am completing a PhD in Public Health. I am in my last year of some degree. You know, I'm in my last year of studying economics. I'm nearing the end of my studies is another way of putting it. And maybe you're doing less formal training. And that's great too, you might want to say: I'm currently taking an online course to improve my skills.

Or I'm doing an extra course to improve my skills in that area, something like that. So, by now you should have a complete list of bullet points ideas upon which we can begin to build your introduction. For me, we could say: I am Australian. I live in Perth. I'm originally from Melbourne. Interests and hobbies. I love swimming in the ocean every morning. I am a qualified English teacher. I teach classes on YouTube. I am interested in companies and startups. Excellent! Well, do you have your list ready too? If not, just press pause now, pause the video, write your list, and then continue.

Because now we need to find a way to bring all those ideas together, okay? We want to make sure that your sentences flow together and sound really natural as you speak or say your introduction. And to do that we need to combine these ideas into longer sentences and add some grammatical words to help. Hi, I'm Emma. I was born in Melbourne and grew up in various cities on the east coast of Australia. I've been living in Perth on the west coast of Australia with my partner for the last four years and we love it, especially swimming in the ocean early in the morning!

I am a qualified English teacher and teach online students and also have an interest in business and startups. One thing you may not know about me is that I teach millions of students every month on my YouTube channel. You obviously know that about me, but most people I know don't, it's always an interesting conversation starter. This is the kind of script I want you to write now. Very good, and once you've written it, make sure to share it in the comments below so that I can give you feedback and some corrections to help you improve it if you need it.

The sooner you write and share your introduction below, the better, the more likely they are to see it and be able to respond. I definitely love seeing you comment and provide support and constructive feedback to each other in the comments below. It is very useful and helps everyone to continue improving together. Now, once you've prepared and reviewed your script, save it on your phone, make a recording of it, whatever it takes to have it with you regularly, okay? And you need to practice it out loud. Alright? Daily. Don't just read it, practice how it sounds, how it comes out of your mouth.

This will help you speak more naturally, feel more comfortable saying words and sounds, and connect those things. It is very, very important that you practice out loud every day until you get it. But even before that, you know, start practicing it in real English situations. It probably won't be perfect at first, but you'll get better each time you put it in that context. And you put yourself in that situation or you hear that question: Tell me about yourself. And you may freeze at first, but that will change over time. You know, you've prepared yourself for this.

You have your answers ready. You don't need to panic and that's the kind of headspace and feeling you need to have a conversation with. I hope this lesson was really practical, really useful for you. And if you're ready to continue developing your conversation skills and learn how to keep the conversation going after you've introduced yourself, we'll continue with this lesson here where we'll practice some small talk conversation starters together. I will see you there!