Introducing Yourself

How many times have you heard the phrase Tell me about yourself?

You might hear it when you meet someone new. You may also hear in the classroom, as a way for people to get to know each other.

The following phrases will help you to talk about yourself, depending on the situation:

What’s your name?

My name is…

How old are you?

I’m …. years old.

What do you do? (Are you a student? Are you working? Are you not in a job right now?)

I’m a/an…

Where do you live? Do you like living there?

I live in…. I like / don’t like living there because…

Where do you come from? What is your hometown?

I come from… My hometown is…

In an informal situation like meeting someone at a party / in a classroom, people would like to hear about what you do, how you know people at the party / in the classroom and what you enjoy doing in your spare time.

In a formal situation like an interview, people want to hear about your educational background and your working / professional background.

Here are some examples:

My name is… This year I entered the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. I’m an easy going person that communicates well with everyone. When I study, I want to work hard. Outside of classes, in my spare time I like to relax and listen to music.

I would like to introduce Peter. He is from England and he is 24 years old. Peter is a manager at the head office of his company. He enjoys art, playing guitar and reading. He also loves learning languages and the cultures connected with them.

A more extended variant can be like these ones:

1.

My name or first name is… My surname or last name is ….

Now, I am a first-year student of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts. In four years I'll be a(n) …

In May I finished school / college in Hrodna. I did well in all the subjects but my favourite subjects were …. I also enjoyed English lessons. In July I entered our University.

I come from Hrodna and I study in Minsk. So, I need some housing. There are two opportunities for me: I can live in a dormitory (a students hostel), or to rent a flat (an apartment).

I decided to rent a flat. In order to make the rent smaller, I also decided toshare my flat with another person from our University.

2.

My name is…

I was born on the 30-th of November 1835 in the village of Florida, Missouri.

My father was John Marshal Clemens.

According to tradition some of my great-great parents were pirates and slave traders. In my time I wished to be a pirate myself.

My uncle was a farmer. I have never met a better man than he was.

The country school was three miles from my uncle's farm. We attended school once or twice a week. For ten years I worked in printshops of various cities. I started my journalistic life as a reporter on a newspaper in San-Francisco.

Guess the name of the person