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Phrasebook

English Phrases for Introducing Yourself

First impressions happen fast. These phrases help you say who you are, where you are from and what you do, in casual chats and at work, and then keep the conversation going.

36 phrases · By LearnLingo Team · Updated

Tap to hear a phrase. Levels follow the CEFR scale. American English is the default; British variants are noted.

Saying hello and your name

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

Hi, I'm Elif.

A1

The most natural way to give your name in everyday situations.

Merhaba, ben Elif.
  • Hi Elif, I'm Mark.
  • Nice to meet you, Elif.

Nice to meet you.

A1

Use it only the first time you meet someone. Later, say "Nice to see you."

Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum.
  • Nice to meet you too.
  • You too.

My name is Elif Kaya.

A1

Slightly more formal. Good at a reception desk, in class or on the phone.

Adım Elif Kaya.
  • Could you spell your last name, please?

Please call me Elif.

A2
Bana Elif diyebilirsiniz.
  • Sure. And I'm Dave.

Sorry, what was your name again?

A2

Very common and polite. People forget names all the time.

Pardon, adınız neydi?
  • It's Mark.
  • Mark. Mark Davis.

How do you spell that?

A1
Nasıl yazılıyor?
  • M-A-R-K.
  • It's D-A-V-I-S.

Hi, I don't think we've met.

B1

A friendly way to start a conversation at a party or event.

Merhaba, sanırım tanışmadık.
  • No, I don't think so. I'm Anna.

Where you are from and where you live

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

I'm from Turkey.

A1

In everyday English, people still usually say "Turkey". "Türkiye" is common in official and news contexts.

Türkiyeliyim.
  • Oh, which part?
  • I've always wanted to go there.

I'm from Izmir, on the west coast of Turkey.

A2
İzmirliyim, Türkiye'nin batı kıyısında.
  • Is that near Istanbul?
  • Oh, I hear it's beautiful.

I live in Manchester now.

A1
Şu an Manchester'da yaşıyorum.
  • How long have you lived there?

I've been here for six months.

B1

Use the present perfect with "for" and "since", not the present simple.

Altı aydır buradayım.
  • Oh, so you're pretty new here.
  • How do you like it so far?

I moved here for work.

A2
İş için buraya taşındım.
  • Oh, what do you do?

I grew up in a small town near Ankara.

B1
Ankara yakınlarında küçük bir kasabada büyüdüm.
  • What was that like?

Work and study

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

I'm a nurse.

A1

Use "a" or "an" before a job: "I'm an engineer."

Hemşireyim.
  • Oh, where do you work?

I work in marketing.

A2

Use "in" with a field and "at" with a company: "I work at a bank."

Pazarlamada çalışıyorum.
  • Interesting. Which company?

I work for a software company.

A2
Bir yazılım şirketinde çalışıyorum.
  • Oh, what do you do there?

I'm a student. I'm studying engineering.

A1

UK speakers often say "I'm at university"; Americans say "I'm in college."

Öğrenciyim. Mühendislik okuyorum.
  • Which university?
  • What year are you in?

What do you do?

A1

This question asks about your job, not what you are doing right now.

Ne iş yapıyorsunuz?
  • I'm a teacher.
  • I work in IT.

I'm between jobs at the moment.

B2

A polite, positive way to say you are not working right now.

Şu an iş arıyorum.
  • Good luck with the search.
  • What kind of work are you looking for?

I'm retired.

A2
Emekliyim.
  • Lucky you! How do you spend your time?

Family, hobbies and other details

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

I'm married with two kids.

A2
Evliyim, iki çocuğum var.
  • Oh, how old are they?

I have a younger brother and an older sister.

A2

English has no separate word for "abla" or "ağabey". Say "older sister" or "older brother".

Bir küçük erkek kardeşim ve bir ablam var.
  • Are you close?

I'm 28.

A1

Say "I'm 28" or "I'm 28 years old", never "I have 28 years". Adults rarely ask strangers their age.

28 yaşındayım.
  • Oh, same here!

In my free time, I like hiking and reading.

A2
Boş zamanlarımda yürüyüş yapmayı ve kitap okumayı severim.
  • Nice. Where do you usually go hiking?

I'm really into photography.

B1

A casual way to say you love a hobby.

Fotoğrafçılıkla çok ilgileniyorum.
  • Oh cool, what do you like to shoot?

I speak Turkish, English and a little German.

A2
Türkçe, İngilizce ve biraz Almanca konuşuyorum.
  • Wow, that's impressive.

I'm still learning English, so please speak slowly.

A2
Hâlâ İngilizce öğreniyorum, o yüzden lütfen yavaş konuşun.
  • Of course. Your English is really good!

Formal and work introductions

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

Let me introduce myself. I'm Can Demir, the new project manager.

B1
Kendimi tanıtayım. Ben Can Demir, yeni proje yöneticisiyim.
  • Welcome to the team, Can.

I'll be joining the sales team.

B1
Satış ekibine katılacağım.
  • Great, you'll be working with me then.

I have five years of experience in finance.

B1
Finans alanında beş yıllık deneyimim var.
  • That's great to hear.

This is my colleague, Sarah.

A2

Introduce other people with "This is...", not "He is..." or "She is...".

Bu, iş arkadaşım Sarah.
  • Hi Sarah, nice to meet you.

I've heard a lot about you.

B1
Hakkınızda çok şey duydum.
  • All good things, I hope!

Here's my card.

A2
Buyurun, kartvizitim.
  • Thanks. Let me give you mine.

Ending the conversation

EnglishTurkishYou might hear

It was great meeting you.

B1

At the end, use "meeting": "Nice meeting you." At the start, use "to meet".

Sizinle tanışmak çok güzeldi.
  • You too. See you around.

Let's keep in touch.

B1
İletişimde kalalım.
  • Definitely. Are you on LinkedIn?

Hope to see you again soon.

A2
Umarım yakında tekrar görüşürüz.
  • Me too. Take care.

Sample dialogues

At a language exchange meetup

Lucas
Hi, is this seat free?
Merhaba, bu yer boş mu?
Zeynep
Yes, go ahead. I'm Zeynep.
Evet, buyurun. Ben Zeynep.
Lucas
Nice to meet you, Zeynep. I'm Lucas. Where are you from?
Memnun oldum Zeynep. Ben Lucas. Nerelisin?
Zeynep
I'm from Bursa, in Turkey. I moved here last year for my master's.
Bursalıyım, Türkiye'den. Yüksek lisans için geçen yıl buraya taşındım.
Lucas
Oh, cool. What are you studying?
Ne güzel. Ne okuyorsun?
Zeynep
Environmental engineering. How about you?
Çevre mühendisliği. Ya sen?
Lucas
I'm a graphic designer. I'm here to practice my Spanish.
Grafik tasarımcıyım. İspanyolca pratiği yapmak için buradayım.
Zeynep
Same here, but for English!
Ben de, ama İngilizce için!

First day at a new job

Karen
Everyone, this is Emre. He's joining us as a data analyst.
Arkadaşlar, bu Emre. Bize veri analisti olarak katılıyor.
Emre
Hi everyone. Let me introduce myself. I'm Emre, and I've been working in data for about four years.
Herkese merhaba. Kendimi tanıtayım. Ben Emre, yaklaşık dört yıldır veri alanında çalışıyorum.
James
Welcome, Emre. I'm James. I look after the sales reports.
Hoş geldin Emre. Ben James. Satış raporlarıyla ben ilgileniyorum.
Emre
Nice to meet you, James. I think we'll be working together a lot.
Memnun oldum James. Sanırım çok birlikte çalışacağız.
James
Great. Where were you before?
Harika. Daha önce nerede çalışıyordun?
Emre
At a bank in Istanbul. I moved here in March.
İstanbul'da bir bankada. Mart ayında buraya taşındım.
James
Well, let me know if you need anything.
Bir şeye ihtiyacın olursa haber ver.
Emre
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Teşekkürler, çok naziksin.

Common mistakes Turkish speakers make

I like reading book.

I like reading books.

Turkish says "kitap okumak" with a singular noun. In English, a general countable noun is plural: "reading books", "watching movies".

I am engineer.

I'm an engineer.

Turkish has no article, but English needs "a" or "an" before a singular job.

I am living in London since 2023.

I've been living in London since 2023.

Turkish says "2023'ten beri yaşıyorum" in the present tense. English needs the present perfect with "since" and "for".

I am working in a bank.

I work at a bank.

Turkish "-iyor" covers both habits and right now. For a permanent job, English uses the present simple, and "at" with a workplace.

Nice to meet you! (to someone you already know)

Nice to see you again!

"Meet" is for the first time only. Turkish "memnun oldum" works both ways, but English changes to "see" after the first meeting.

Quick quiz

Eight questions to check what you remember. Pick an answer to see if it is right.

  1. 1. You meet someone for the first time. What do you say?

  2. 2. Which sentence about age is correct?

  3. 3. Complete: "I'm ___ architect."

  4. 4. "What do you do?" asks about your:

  5. 5. Complete: "I've lived here ___ two years."

  6. 6. Which is the best way to introduce a colleague?

  7. 7. You forgot someone's name. What do you say?

  8. 8. At the end of a conversation, which phrase fits best?

0 of 8 answered

Show all answers
  1. Nice to meet you.
  2. I'm 30.
  3. an
  4. job
  5. for
  6. This is Tom.
  7. Sorry, what was your name again?
  8. It was great meeting you.

See what the A1 English course covers, or test your level first.

People also ask

How do I introduce myself in English in a simple way?+

Say your name, where you are from and what you do: "Hi, I'm Elif. I'm from Izmir, and I work in marketing." Then ask a question back, like "How about you?"

Is "My name is..." or "I'm..." better?+

Both are correct. "I'm Elif" sounds relaxed and is the most common in conversation. "My name is Elif Kaya" sounds a little more formal and works well on the phone or at a desk.

What should I say about myself at a job or in a meeting?+

Give your name, your role and one useful detail: "I'm Can, the new project manager. I have five years of experience in finance." Keep it short and friendly.

What questions should I avoid when meeting someone new?+

In English-speaking cultures, avoid asking new people about their age, salary, weight, religion or why they are not married. Ask about work, where they are from or their hobbies instead.

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