Hello, my friends.
Welcome back to english.
Unleashed, i'm tom and i'm becky.
Today, we want to teach you something important how to talk about yourself in english.
Yeah, this is something you need every day.
When you meet new people, When you make friends, when you start a job, when you travel, people always ask about you.
Exactly.
They want to know what's your name?
Where are you from?
What do you do?
What do you like?
These are basic but very important.
In this episode, we will teach you simple and useful phrases, little patterns and examples.
You can shadow us, listen and then say the words out loud.
That's how you make the language part of you.
Let's start with the very first step when you meet someone new.
Your name.
This is the basic key to communication.
This is very easy.
There are a few very common and useful patterns.
The first one is My name is Tom.
Okay?
My name is Tom.
The second one is I'm Tom, okay?
So both are correct.
My name's Tom or I'm Tom.
Now, let's listen to some examples.
I can say, my name's Becky.
Or I can say, I'm Becky.
Both are correct.
Both are natural.
Yeah.
And you can also add more detail if you want.
My full name is Thomas.
But people call me Tom.
That's true for me.
Officially, on my passport, it says Thomas.
But in daily life, everyone calls me Tom.
Same for me.
My full name is Rebecca.
But honestly, nobody calls me Rebecca.
So I usually say, my name's Rebecca, but my friends call me Becky.
This phrase people call me something is very useful when you have a nickname or a short version of your name.
It makes the introduction more personal.
Yes, here are some more examples.
My name is Alexander, but people call me Alex.
My name is Catherine, but people call me Kate.
Perfect.
You see, you can use this pattern in many situations.
Now, Tom, here is a little cultural tip.
In English-speaking countries, people usually use short names or friendly names very quickly.
So, don't be surprised if someone shortens your name after only meeting you once.
It's not rude.
It's not impolite.
It's usually a sign of friendliness.
That's a good point, Becky.
When I first started teaching, some of my students called me Mr. Thomas.
But later, I asked them to call me Tom, and that felt more relaxed.
Yes, so you can decide how formal or informal you want to be.
My name is Rebecca, feels formal.
I'm Becky, feels more friendly.
Alright, after you say your name, the next very common question is, where are you from?
People ask this almost everywhere in the world.
It's a friendly way to start a conversation, and it helps people understand you better.
Yeah.
The basic and most useful pattern is, I'm from the United States.
I'm from Spain.
I'm from Japan.
I'm from Korea.
I'm from Vietnam.
When I meet people, I usually say, I'm from the U.S., but I live in London.
Yeah, you can make your answer stronger by adding a city and a country together.
So the pattern is, I'm from Cairo.
It's in Egypt, okay?
Or, I'm from Tokyo.
It's in Japan.
That way, if the person doesn't know your city, they still understand your country.
Exactly.
Here are some more examples.
I'm from Rio de Janeiro.
It's in Brazil.
I'm from Nairobi.
It's in Kenya.
I'm from Toronto.
It's in Canada.
And if you want to be very clear, you can even add the region.
For example, I'm from Munich.
It's in the south of Germany.
All right.
Another very useful pattern is I was born in somewhere, but i live in somewhere.
Okay, so this is great when your story is a little different.
For example, i was born in spain but i live in mexico now.
Or i was born in thailand but I live in Dubai.
For me, I can say I was born in a small town, but I live in a big city now.
That shows a part of my life story.
Yeah, and you can also say something like I was born in London, And I still live in London today.
That's great.
Here is a cultural tip.
In English-speaking countries, people often connect very quickly over places.
If you say, I'm from Italy, someone might reply, Oh, I love Italian food.
Or...
I visited Rome last year.
People often use places to find connections, to make friends.
So don't be surprised if people talk about your country, food, music or famous things.
Yeah.
It's a friendly way to keep the conversation going.
Now, another very common question is, how old are you?
People sometimes ask this when they want to know more about you.
It's not always the first question in English-speaking countries, but it's still useful to know how to answer.
Yeah, the basic pattern is very simple.
I'm 40 years old.
I'm 45 years old.
I'm 28 years old.
Or, if you want to keep it short, just say, I'm 28.
I'm 41.
That's enough.
Most people will understand right away, and right away means very quickly, okay?
In fact, in casual conversations, in informal conversations, people often don't say years old.
They just say the number.
I'm 20.
I'm 18.
I'm 55.
Yes, and there is another way you can answer if you don't want to give the exact number.
You can say, I'm in my 20s.
I'm in my 30s.
I'm in my 40s.
Or I'm in my 60s.
This means the general age range, okay, but not the exact number.
Yeah, so if you say I'm in my 40s, it could mean 41, 45, or even 49.
It's softer.
Sometimes people prefer this if they don't want to be too specific.
I usually say, I'm in my 40s.
That could be 41, 45, or 49.
But it gives people an idea without saying the exact number.
Yeah, and here is a cultural tip.
In English-speaking countries, people don't always ask about age, especially with adults.
Sometimes it feels a little personal.
Yeah, I find it a little bit personal.
But with children or teenagers, it's very common.
Exactly.
For example, when you meet a child, you might ask, how old are you?
And the child will happily say, I'm seven or I'm ten.
But with adults, it's better to wait until they share it themselves.
Still, it's useful for you to know how to say your age if someone asks.
Now, here are some more phrases you can use.
I'm almost 30.
That means maybe 29, nearly 30.
I just turned 18, okay?
I just turned 18.
That means I became 18 recently.
Here is another one.
I'm in my early 30s.
I'm in my early 30s.
That means maybe 31, 32, or 33.
And here's the final one.
I'm in my late 40s.
I'm in my late 40s.
That means maybe 47, 48 or 49.
For example, I sometimes say I'm in my early 40s.
That usually means 41 to 44.
Alright, let's move on to another very common topic.
Family.
This always comes up in small talk.
When people are getting to know you, they're often curious about your family background.
A very common question is, do you have brothers or sisters?
Sometimes they use the word siblings.
Siblings means brothers and sisters.
So they ask, do you have brothers or sisters?
Yeah, and it's a good idea to have a clear answer ready.
The simplest way to answer is yes, I have or no.
I don't have any brothers or sisters, or I don't have any siblings.
For example, you can say, yeah, I have one brother. or Yeah, I have two sisters.
In my case, I usually say, Yeah, I have an older sister.
That one small word, older, adds more detail.
And I usually say, yeah, I have one younger brother.
That's also a nice detail, because people then know, my brother is not only my sibling, but also younger than me.
So, if you want to give a little more information, you can use older or younger.
For example, I have two younger sisters or I have one older brother.
It makes your answer richer.
Yeah.
And if you don't have brothers or sisters, that's okay, too.
There is a special phrase for this.
I'm an only child, okay?
I'm an only child.
That means you don't have siblings.
Now, sometimes people want to know how many brothers or sisters you have in total, okay?
They might ask, how many brothers and sisters do you have?
Yeah, and here you can give a number and mix brothers and sisters if you like.
For example, I have one brother and two sisters.
Or I have three sisters.
And if you don't have any, you can just say I don't have brothers or sisters.
Or the shorter way is I don't have siblings.
I don't have siblings.
If you want to go a little deeper, you can talk about your position in the family.
People may ask, are you the oldest?
Or, are you the youngest?
I usually say, I'm the oldest child.
Yeah, and I usually say, I'm the middle child.
That means I'm not the oldest.
And if you are the last born, you can say, I'm the youngest.
I'm the youngest.
Now, another very common question about family is, do you live with your family?
This question is about your living situation.
Yeah, and there are many simple answers.
For example, you can say, yeah, I live with my parents.
Or, I live with my wife and children.
And if you don't live with your family, you can say, no, I live alone or no, I live with friends.
I live with friends.
That's right.
So if you want to talk about living situation, just say who you live with.
Your parents, your partner, your children, or your friends.
Or maybe you live on your own.
If you live on your own, you live alone.
All right.
Now let's talk about another very important topic.
Work and study.
This is something people ask about all the time.
When you meet someone new, one of the first questions is, what do you do?
What do you do?
And that question, what do you do, means what is your job?
What is your daily work?
It doesn't mean what are you doing right now.
That's a very common mistake for learners.
But in small talk, what do you do is always about your job or studies.
That's a great point, Becky.
So if you have a job, the simple answer is I'm a and then your job.
For example, I'm a teacher.
I'm an engineer.
I'm a nurse.
I'm a doctor.
Yeah.
When I talk about myself, I often say I'm a language teacher.
I work with young learners and adults.
That gives both my job title and a little detail about what I actually do.
And I usually say I'm an English teacher.
I help learners learn English in a natural way.
Again, it's short, but it gives a little extra information.
If you want to make your answer more interesting, you can add where you work.
For example, I'm a teacher.
I work in a secondary school.
Or I'm a doctor.
I work in a hospital.
Or you can describe the type of work you do.
I'm a driver.
I drive a taxi.
I'm a cook.
I work in an Italian restaurant.
Just adding one short detail makes your answer more personal and easier for the listener to understand.
Okay, now, Tom, what if you don't have a job at the moment? people may still ask, what do you do?
Well, that's a very good question.
In that case, you can say, I'm looking for a job right now.
Or, I'm between jobs.
That's a polite way to say you don't have a job at the moment.
Yeah, and some people might say, I'm a homemaker, or I stay at home with my children.
These are also clear and polite answers.
Okay, now if you are a student, the answer is a little different.
You can say, I'm a student, and then add your subject.
I study English.
I study engineering.
You can also add the name of your school or university.
I study at Oxford University.
Or I study at the local high school.
Sometimes people ask, what are you studying?
And then you can answer, I'm studying biology.
I'm studying history.
I'm studying English.
And if you finished studying, you can say, I studied English.
I studied law at university.
That shows your background.
Of course, some people both study and work at the same time.
You can say, I study business, and I also work in a shop.
Or, I'm a student, but I have a part-time job in a cafe.
Yeah, that's very common, and it's a good way to give a fuller picture of your life.
People often find it interesting when you combine both, when you talk about both.
So, Becky, what are the questions you might hear about jobs and study?
Well, people may ask, What do you do?
Where do you work?
Do you like your job?
Are you a student?
Are you a student?
What do you study?
Where do you study?
Great.
And for each one, you already know the simple answers.
For example, what do you do?
I'm a teacher.
Do you like your job?
Yeah, I do.
Or, it's okay, but sometimes it's difficult.
Are you a student?
Yeah, I am.
I study economics.
Where do you study?
I study at Oxford University.
You see, these are simple patterns, but they cover almost every situation.
All right.
Sometimes when you meet new people, You don't only want to say your name, your job, or your country.
You may also want to describe your personality.
That means the kind of person you are.
This helps people understand you better and it can make the conversation warmer, more friendly.
And the good news is you don't need difficult words for this.
Simple words are enough.
You can use I'm and then one or two adjectives.
For example, I'm friendly.
I'm shy.
I'm hardworking.
I'm funny.
That's right.
When I describe myself, I often say, I'm friendly and patient.
I like listening to people.
These are two qualities, two features, two characteristics that I think really show who I am.
And I usually say, I'm curious.
I like learning new things.
I'm also a little quiet sometimes.
That's true, Tom.
You are quiet sometimes.
Yeah, that's part of my personality.
Everyone has different sides.
Sometimes you are outgoing.
Sometimes you are quiet.
So if you want to describe yourself in a positive way, there are some easy and common words you can use.
For example, you can say, I'm friendly.
That means you enjoy talking to people.
Or, I'm hardworking.
That means you try your best at your job or studies.
You can also say, I'm helpful.
That means you like to help people.
Or I'm kind.
That means you care about others.
These simple adjectives are very powerful.
You don't need big, complicated words.
Just one or two can give a clear picture of your character, your personality.
Now, some people like to describe themselves in terms of energy, okay?
For example, I'm active or I'm relaxed.
These words tell others about your lifestyle and your way of being.
Yeah, or you can say, I'm serious.
That means you take things carefully.
Or the opposite, I'm easygoing.
That means you are relaxed and not stressed.
I often say, I'm positive.
That means I try to see the good in situations.
And sometimes I say, I'm open-minded.
That means I like to listen to new ideas.
Now, I have a question, Tom.
How do people ask about your personality?
Well, that's a fantastic question, Becky.
The most common question is, what are you like?
What are you like?
And this question confuses some learners because it doesn't mean, what do you like?
It means, what is your personality?
So if someone asks, what are you like?
You can answer, I'm friendly and patient, or I'm shy but curious.
Great.
And I can think of another question.
How would you describe yourself?
This is often asked in job interviews.
In that case you can give two or three positive qualities, like I'm hardworking, creative and reliable.
And sometimes people just ask, are you shy?
Or are you outgoing?
Then you can answer, yeah, I'm shy.
Or no, I'm quite outgoing.
OK.
We have shared a lot today.
We talked about how to introduce yourself, where you're from, your age, your family, your job or studies, and your personality.
Yeah. all the basic things for talking about yourself in English.
With just a few simple patterns, you can give people a clear picture of who you are.
And remember, you don't need long difficult sentences.
Short simple sentences are enough. just say them with confidence.
And the more you practice, the easier it gets.
So try using these sentences today, maybe with a friend, maybe in class or even just in the mirror.
We hope this episode gives you the confidence to talk about yourself in English anytime, anywhere.
Thank you so much, my friends, for spending this time with us.
And remember, practice a little every day.
I'm Tom.
And I'm Becky.
And this is English Unleashed.
Until next time.
Keep learning and keep believing in yourself.
Bye for now.
