Today we're gonna talk about introductions.

I know they can be very difficult.

I recently attended a conference where everybody asked me what do you do, where are you from, who are you basically.

Today we're gonna learn some phrases that are gonna help you in this situation so please watch this video up to the very end because we're not only going to go through phrases that you can use, we're also going to come up with little monologues that you can use and as a language learner what I've realized in the past you know 20 years since I've started learning English I've realized that memorizing certain templates and certain structures actually helps your brain a lot in stressful situations.

So the next time you interact with native speakers and they ask you something you will have a template in your head that you can use right away.

So let's dive into introductions in English.

Now one of the things that you have to into three different groups.

The first group is informal conversations.

Basically you're chatting with your friend.

The second group semi-formal and here you know it depends on where you are but for example in the U.S. when I go to a creator's conference and meet people who represent brands or other creators I think it's semi-formal because we're not 100% friends right away but we're not too formal and when we talk about formal situations basically when you interact with government officials or when you are interviewing for a job.

So we're gonna go through phrases for all of these situations.

So when you need to introduce yourself first thing is it a formal situation such as a business meeting or is it an informal situation like a party?

Back to the structure.

We start the introduction with a greeting.

Let's look at some phrases that we might use in more formal situations.

Greeting.

At the beginning of formal events for example business meetings or interviews or formal dinners or even class use greetings like hello good morning good afternoon and good evening.

If it's an interview you can say good morning thank you for considering me for this role.

Then we have semi-formal greetings and this is where your mind can be free.

You can say hi there.

This is a slightly less formal way to say hello but still more appropriate than just saying hey when you talk to your co-workers who you don't know very well.

Or you can just say morning.

It's a more casual way of saying good morning.

Informal greetings.

Now hi is obviously the most popular.

Then you can say hey, heya, hey there, what's up is my favorite, how's it going, how are you doing.

It's common in more informal language to leave out grammar words in greetings.

How are you doing often changes to how are you doing which is more informal.

Hey everyone, I'm thrilled to join this community.

Now let's talk about general information.

Of course the first thing you want to talk about is your name.

So you can say pleased to meet you, my name is Marina or just I'm Marina.

You can also say I don't think we've met, may I introduce myself or hello it's a pleasure to meet you I'm Marina.

Informal.

Now it's funny so a lot of people in the U.S. know me as Silicon Valley Girl.

So sometimes I introduce myself which is kind of funny I tell people I'm Silicon Valley Girl and they're like oh yes I've seen your videos but then I tell them you can call me Marina this is my actual name.

So if you have a nickname online and people might know you by that nickname feel free to use it.

It's kind of funny that I have three personalities and sometimes when I realize that the environment is very international I can say I'm Lingua Marina and people are like oh yeah Lingua Marina and some people still think my name is Lingua and I'm like no my name is Marina so you can call me Marina.

I'm Silicon Valley Girl but my friends call me Marina.

By the way in North America people often use first names right from the start and the mood is very relaxed.

This really surprised me when I first came to the U.S. and you know I was talking to formal venture investors and they're like yeah I'm Sam I'm like okay mister no no no Sam.

So everything is really informal and really relaxed that doesn't mean that people don't take this meeting seriously they do it's just the nature of formal and business communication in the U.S. is very friendly.

In other places though they might be more formal and use titles and last until they get to know you better.

In the USA there's an emphasis on personal space and this can affect greetings.

A firm handshake is standard but respecting personal space is important.

Another fun story I've recently met a very important businessman from India in the U.S. and again I'm used to this culture now so I did a firm handshake he was like no what you need to do is give me a because in India the culture is completely different.

So I want you to understand that there are cultural differences but don't think of them too much you will basically understand what's going on once you are in the situation and that Indian businessman was really kind to just explain everything to me and when I said goodbye I made sure that I did it the correct way and we kind of laughed at it.

I think it was pretty cool but again when I first came to the U.S. and people were shaking my hand and men were shaking my hand in a strong manner I was like wow some people actually say it's a power move so the stronger the handshake is the more energy that person has so you know it's up to you what you're gonna do but remember that about the U.S. and other cultures and other cultures might stand closer or greet each other with a kiss on the cheek and that happens in France and they do two kisses on both cheeks and I just came back from France where people were doing that to me all the time even people who I met for the first time and again for me it was like you know in the U.S. we'll never do that so the first couple times I was a little bit nervous like what's going on but then again I got used to it this is this country everybody kisses each other and that's fine.

Then you can talk about your birthplace and current location I was born and raised in Saint Petersburg Russia I come from Saint Petersburg I'm originally from Saint Petersburg but now I'm based in California that's basically what I do you know was born and raised in Saint Petersburg have been living in the U.S. since 2015 or I've been living in the U.S. for 10 years now informal you can say I'm and your nationality like I'm Russian I'm originally from Russia but I've been living in the U.S. for the past nine years Saint Petersburg Russia is my live in Los Altos Hills which is in California I spent the past few years in California you may have already noticed that when talking about ourselves we're using a lot of different tenses and it's very important to know all of them to interact freely in English but if you're struggling with tenses I have a product that will help now is the right time to unlock the mysteries of English tenses with the 12 in 1 tenses handbook perfect for everyone who wants to master tenses this interactive guide will help you understand the hard parts of grammar and fix mistakes that you make now it breaks down the rules explains things in easy words provides clear examples and you practice straight away with exercises remember practice makes perfect say goodbye to confusion and say hello to confident automatic task usage in speaking and writing and tenses are an essential part of everyday conversations so please make sure they're automatic in your brain click the link in the description below to download the handbook now your activity share what you do I work as a manager or my formal position is president at Lingua Marina so I'm a president of a company called Lingua Marina and Lingua Marina is basically a company above all of my channels but if you're not an entrepreneur and you're working for a company you can say I work for Google in the marketing department or you can mention a general idea I work in sales my specialty is in sales or if you have your own business you can say I'm self-employed I have my own business the more informal way to say that will be I work for myself or if you're unemployed right now you could say I'm unemployed nobody really I know it's totally okay to use that phrase but I've never heard people say I'm unemployed I've heard people saying I'm looking for a job in the creator economy because I'm excited about being creator and working with creators now let's talk about your education let's look at some formal phrases I'm about to graduate or I have a degree in physics I have a bachelor's master's PhD degree in mathematics or in literature my major is or was economics or you can also say I graduated from this or that university I did a post-grad in physics at Stanford again see how we're using different tenses when talking about different things in our lives don't forget about the handbook the link is in the description okay let's talk about your experience I have number like seven years of experience in making videos I have what is it nine years of experience in making videos I have spent 10 years as a manager with Google or you can just say I worked in marketing for nine years now of course whenever you're meeting new people it's kind of cool to mention your hobby because when you're meeting new people you're always looking for common topics and the more common topics you find during this initial conversation the more exciting this new connection is going to be now your hobby let's talk about it when I have some spare time or in my free time I do yoga I'm interested in music I've always enjoyed hiking very California activity a more informal way to say that is I'm really into jogging I'm really into hiking I'm a big fan of singing so here's what you get now let me give you a template that you can memorize and use later on when you speak English hi there I'm Marina I'm originally from Russia but I've been living in the U.S. for the I work for myself I have a degree in mathematics and economics I'm really into making videos on YouTube this is a very easy and informal way to introduce yourself I've given you the basics and you can add more details that would be relevant to the situation here are a couple more introduction examples in different settings informal introduction hello everyone I'm thrilled to join this community my name is Luca and I'm a chef from Rome Italy I've just moved to this neighborhood looking forward to connecting with all of you the next introduction is going to be more formal for example if it's a job interview good morning thank you for considering me for this role I'm Camila a graphic designer from Sao Paulo Brazil my speciality is in creating visual stories that speak to a global audience I'd love to apply my creative skills to your company's innovative projects and let's do informal say new workplace hey team I'm absolutely thrilled to start my journey with you as the new sales representative my name is Sofia coming all the way from Madrid Spain with six years of experience across different European markets I'm eager to dive into our market and contribute to our shared success excited to learn and grow with you all so let's summarize here are the steps to introduce yourself in English greet your audience begin your introduction with a smile on your face as it creates a positive impression number two share your name and some general information talk about yourself name place interests and hobbies if necessary depending on the type of situation for example interviews meetings seminars etc share about your work education experience number four don't forget about your friendly tone and style of introduction introduce yourself in a way that is approachable quick homework write your introductions in the comments section below this is a great task for you and also a great way for us to meet each other thank you so much for watching this video up to the very end please do not forget to subscribe to this channel and looking forward to seeing you in my next videos bye