Speaker A
Hello everyone, and welcome back to English with Lucy.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Today, we are going to talk about self-introduction, the answer to that dreaded question, 'Tell me about yourself.'
Speaker A
Now, to some of you, this topic may seem very basic, but learning to introduce yourself properly is incredibly important.
Speaker A
You might need to introduce yourself without any forewarning, so you need to be prepared.
Speaker A
You may need to introduce yourself in your English class, or in a job interview, you might need to introduce yourself at a new job, or at a new hobby or leisure activity, you may even need to introduce yourself at a big event or convention in front of thousands of people.
Speaker A
I feel very nervous and anxious when I have to introduce myself to large groups of people, and English is my first language, for learners of English, for my students, this is incredibly intimidating.
Speaker A
In order to successfully introduce yourself, you must have your self-introduction pre-written and learned, you have to be prepared.
Speaker A
In this video, I am going to guide you through this process.
Speaker A
At the end of this lesson, you will have a complete self-introduction that is ready to use and ready for you to learn off by heart.
Speaker A
I encourage you to share your introductions in the comment section down below, so that the community and I may assist you and correct you.
Speaker A
So, let's start with the basics of a self-introduction.
Speaker A
The very first thing that you'll need to say when introducing yourself is a greeting.
Speaker A
Now, you can have formal greetings or you can have informal greetings, it depends where you are, the situation you are in.
Speaker A
Let's start with formal greetings.
Speaker A
Obviously, hello, hello can be both formal and informal, but it's fine to use it in a formal situation, you also have good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, make sure you pay particular attention to what time of day it is.
Speaker A
I have said good morning in the evening and good evening in the morning before.
Speaker A
One thing to note is the use of good day, in British English, good day is considered very old-fashioned.
Speaker A
Very, very, very formal, it's not commonly used, however, it is very common in Australian English, they kind of shorten it down to good day.
Speaker A
Good day.
Speaker A
And I would say that good day, I wonder what Emma from English will think.
Speaker A
Of me saying good day.
Speaker A
Will she approve?
Speaker A
I'll ask her.
Speaker A
But good day is more informal, but this again is if you're in Australia.
Speaker A
It's just something I've noticed people using in my comment section, good day.
Speaker A
I can see why you would use it.
Speaker A
It appears to be a greeting that is suitable for all hours of the day.
Speaker A
When in reality, in British English, it's just a very, very old-fashioned saying.
Speaker A
Also note that good night is normally a send-off.
Speaker A
An equivalent for goodbye, you say it when you are leaving instead of when you are greeting someone.
Speaker A
If you're introducing yourself in the night time, you would say good evening.
Speaker A
Now let's talk about informal greetings.
Speaker A
It's really important for you to find one that you feel comfortable with.
Speaker A
There are lots of informal greetings like hey, what's up?
Speaker A
Hi, hiya, yo.
Speaker A
There's even what's good, which is quite an American one.
Speaker A
Honestly, if I said yo, when I was introducing myself in an English class or in a less formal situation, I would feel really stupid.
Speaker A
Because it doesn't suit me.
Speaker A
My particular region doesn't use yo, so it feels a bit forced.
Speaker A
I really admire people who can just stand up and say yo, what's good.
Speaker A
But it's not going to happen for me.
Speaker A
So make sure you pick one that you feel really comfortable saying.
Speaker A
Next.
Speaker A
Of course, we have your name.
Speaker A
Now, there are many ways of introducing your name.
Speaker A
The very basic ones like I'm or I am.
Speaker A
I'm Lucy.
Speaker A
I am Lucy.
Speaker A
Or if you're introducing yourself in a situation where the majority of the audience cannot see you.
Speaker A
For example, on the telephone, no one can really see you when you're speaking on the telephone.
Speaker A
You can say my name is or my name's.
Speaker A
With the apostrophe S, the contracted form.
Speaker A
Or if you're in a very large auditorium or convention center.
Speaker A
Then you might want to use this is.
Speaker A
This is Lucy.
Speaker A
On the telephone, I would normally say, hi, this is Lucy speaking.
Speaker A
Or this is Lucy.
Speaker A
Next.
Speaker A
Let's talk about location, where you're from and where you're living.
Speaker A
There are many variations of this, I'm going to start with the most basic.
Speaker A
And move on to slightly more complicated ways of describing your geographical location.
Speaker A
Firstly, we have I'm from and then the place name.
Speaker A
I'm from Bedfordshire.
Speaker A
We also have I'm and then the nationality adjective.
Speaker A
I'm British.
Speaker A
I'm English.
Speaker A
If you are from somewhere that is quite far from the place where you're introducing yourself.
Speaker A
You can say I come from and then you can name that place.
Speaker A
Come from implies a little bit more of a journey.
Speaker A
If you want to say where you grew up.
Speaker A
You can say I was born and raised in.
Speaker A
Place name.
Speaker A
I was born and raised in England.
Speaker A
If you were born in one place, but grew up in a different place.
Speaker A
You can say I was born in France but raised in Sweden.
Speaker A
If you want to say that you are from one place, but are now living in another place.
Speaker A
There are various options.
Speaker A
You can say.
Speaker A
I grew up in.
Speaker A
I grew up in LA but now live in New York.
Speaker A
I'm originally from Edinburgh but I'm now based in London.
Speaker A
If you want to say how long you have lived in a certain place.
Speaker A
You can say.
Speaker A
I've been living in London for three years.
Speaker A
Or I've spent the past few years in Paris.
Speaker A
Now, those are the basics.
Speaker A
Let's talk about some other options that you can add onto your self-introduction.
Speaker A
A very important option is your position and your company.
Speaker A
For example, I work at Google in the marketing department.
Speaker A
You can say I work at or I work for.
Speaker A
You would not say I work in and then a company name.
Speaker A
It's at or for a company name.
Speaker A
You can also say.
Speaker A
I'm a manager at Starbucks.
Speaker A
I'm a position at company.
Speaker A
Again, the at can also be replaced with a for.
Speaker A
If you just want to give a general idea of the field in which you work.
Speaker A
You can say I work in.
Speaker A
General area.
Speaker A
I work in sales.
Speaker A
If you want to give the specific position.
Speaker A
You can say I work as a deputy manager.
Speaker A
I work as an accountant.
Speaker A
I work as an accountant.
Speaker A
You might also want to mention your qualifications.
Speaker A
Especially if you are introducing yourself in a job interview.
Speaker A
If you want to say that you are close to graduation.
Speaker A
You can say I'm about to graduate.
Speaker A
You could also say I am a subject graduate or postgraduate.
Speaker A
I'm a marketing graduate.
Speaker A
I have a bachelor of arts degree in marketing.
Speaker A
Or I have a BA degree in marketing.
Speaker A
Or just a BA in marketing.
Speaker A
I'm a biology postgrad.
Speaker A
Shortening it down to grad is more informal.
Speaker A
So it might be something that you do at a convention or in your English class.
Speaker A
If you want to talk about courses or other achievements.
Speaker A
You can say I'm currently taking a course in subject.
Speaker A
Maths.
Speaker A
Now, note the preposition.
Speaker A
In versus on.
Speaker A
You can take a course in something theoretical like maths.
Speaker A
You can take a course on something practical like jewelry making or pottery.
Speaker A
You can also remove the preposition.
Speaker A
I'm taking a pottery course.
Speaker A
If you want to say that you've finished a course, it's now on your CV.
Speaker A
You can say I have completed a time course in or on subject.
Speaker A
For the time scale of the course, you can say the number.
Speaker A
Dash and then the unit of time.
Speaker A
And that together forms an adjective.
Speaker A
A 72-hour subject course.
Speaker A
A three-day subject course.
Speaker A
Now, if you want to talk about experience about your previous jobs.
Speaker A
You can say.
Speaker A
I have number years of experience in the occupation field.
Speaker A
I have three years of experience in the neuroscience field.
Speaker A
At whichever company.
Speaker A
You don't necessarily have to say field.
Speaker A
You can say I have 10 years of sales experience.
Speaker A
Or I have 10 years of experience in sales.
Speaker A
You can also say I've worked in occupation field for unit of time.
Speaker A
However long you've worked there.
Speaker A
I've worked in the accounting field for three years.
Speaker A
Or I've worked in accounting for three years.
Speaker A
Now, if you're in a more informal situation, one in which you're introducing yourself to make friends and to meet people and to get to know each other better.
Speaker A
You may want to talk about your family.
Speaker A
Now, obviously, there are the normal things like I have a brother.
Speaker A
I have a sister.
Speaker A
I have a mum and a dad.
Speaker A
But what if you want to give a little bit more information and also show off your language skills?
Speaker A
One common mistake I hear my students make is when they're trying to talk about how large or how small their family is.
Speaker A
They want to tell me how many family members there are in their family.
Speaker A
I often hear them say, we are five in our family.
Speaker A
This isn't correct in English.
Speaker A
In English, we say.
Speaker A
I'm from a family of number.
Speaker A
I'm from a family of four.
Speaker A
Or we are a family of four.
Speaker A
That's a really important one for you to remember, it's a mistake I hear very frequently.
Speaker A
If you want to talk about how many brothers or sisters you have.
Speaker A
You can say.
Speaker A
I am one of number siblings.
Speaker A
I am one of four siblings.
Speaker A
Siblings doesn't specify the gender, so you don't have to say two brothers, one sister.
Speaker A
You can just say siblings.
Speaker A
Three.
Speaker A
I'm one of four siblings.
Speaker A
Or even if you're already talking about families.
Speaker A
You can just say I'm one of four.
Speaker A
And they'll understand you.
Speaker A
If you have no brothers or sisters.
Speaker A
You can say I am an only child.
Speaker A
I'm an only child.
Speaker A
You might want to talk about hobbies.
Speaker A
You have all the usual phrases like I really like running.
Speaker A
I really enjoy tennis.
Speaker A
A really good phrase, I think, is.
Speaker A
I'm a big fan of.
Speaker A
I'm a big fan of go-karting.
Speaker A
You can also say I am a keen and then a noun.
Speaker A
For example, I'm a keen runner.
Speaker A
Or I'm a keen tennis player.
Speaker A
Now, I've left this one till last because really.
Speaker A
It really isn't as necessary anymore.
Speaker A
But it's important that you know how to say it.
Speaker A
It's age.
Speaker A
We have the basic one.
Speaker A
I am 25 years old.
Speaker A
We can shorten it down.
Speaker A
I'm 25.
Speaker A
If you don't want to specify your age.
Speaker A
You can say I'm in my early, mid or late.
Speaker A
And then your decade.
Speaker A
20s, 30s, 40s, 50s.
Speaker A
Teens as well if you're really young.
Speaker A
I'm in my mid-20s.
Speaker A
She's in her early teens.
Speaker A
He's in his late forties.
Speaker A
You might also hear people say, she's a twenty-something marketing graduate.
Speaker A
Or he's a thirty-something accountant.
Speaker A
That's if you don't know their age or you think it would be rude to try and guess their age.
Speaker A
Now, the last point in this vocabulary section of the lesson.
Speaker A
I want to talk to you about the dreaded fun fact.
Speaker A
I've been to a lot of events, I've been to a lot of conventions, and I've had to introduce myself in a lot of English classes.
Speaker A
And something that teachers and speakers love to ask you to do is give a fun fact about yourself.
Speaker A
I must admit, I have asked my students to provide a fun fact about themselves.
Speaker A
It's annoying because you have to stand up and say my name is, you know, my job is, and my fun fact is.
Speaker A
And that could be really, really daunting, intimidating.
Speaker A
To suddenly think of an interesting fact about yourself is really, really hard.
Speaker A
So I highly recommend that you have a fun fact up your sleeve.
Speaker A
A fun fact prepared.
Speaker A
Think about an interesting fear.
Speaker A
A weird like or dislike.
Speaker A
A good one is always your pet.
Speaker A
Or a strange achievement or extraordinary experience.
Speaker A
I always say that I have hypermobility.
Speaker A
And then I'll just show them my thumbs.
Speaker A
Or dislocate my shoulder blade.
Speaker A
That is twice in a month that I've done that on YouTube.
Speaker A
I need to calm down.
Speaker A
Have a think.
Speaker A
If you want to do bonus homework, share your fun fact about yourself.
Speaker A
But this is optional.
Speaker A
I know how horrible the fun fact can be.
Speaker A
Now, I've given you loads of different options.
Speaker A
I've given you the basics and then you can add on the options.
Speaker A
But you'll be left with a lot of short sentences.
Speaker A
Let's see how mine would look.
Speaker A
Good morning, everyone.
Speaker A
My name is Lucy.
Speaker A
I am 24 years old.
Speaker A
I am from Bedfordshire.
Speaker A
I work as an English teacher.
Speaker A
I am a marketing graduate.
Speaker A
I'm a big fan of running and fitness classes.
Speaker A
Now, whilst all of that is grammatically correct and very clear.
Speaker A
If I do say so myself.
Speaker A
I think it would be a lot better if I condensed these seven sentences down into two flowing sentences.
Speaker A
What do you think of this?
Speaker A
Good morning, everyone, my name's Lucy and I'm a 25-year-old marketing graduate from Bedfordshire.
Speaker A
I now work as an English teacher, and I'm a big fan of running and fitness classes.
Speaker A
So much better.
Speaker A
So much shorter.
Speaker A
So much more natural.
Speaker A
See if you can condense your introduction down to two flowing sentences.
Speaker A
Minus the greeting, that could be a little sentence on its own.
Speaker A
I haven't removed any of the information.
Speaker A
Right, I really look forward to reading all of your introductions.
Speaker A
And your fun facts.
Speaker A
If you choose to do so.
Speaker A
Feel free to correct each other and help each other.
Speaker A
I will also be looking at the first comments.
Speaker A
And I'll look at a handful throughout the week as well when I can.
Speaker A
Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media.
Speaker A
I've got my Facebook, my Instagram and my Twitter.
Speaker A
And my Lucy Bella Earl channel where I talk about my life, not English.
Speaker A
I will see you soon for another lesson.
![[Full Episode]Nothing Else Compares（English-dubbed）#cdr… — Transcript](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YYJruShKWz8/maxresdefault.jpg)
