Introducing Yourself

Introducing yourself in English to a native speaker can be quite an intimidating task. The English you learn from books and what’s spoken amongst friends is quite different. Additionally, making new friends in a semi-casual way has its own set of expressions. Different countries also tend to have their own opening phrases – here I’m going to explain a few common phrases for meeting people specifically in the United States.

1. “Hi, how’s your day going?”

Asking a stranger about their day may seem a little bit too friendly from the perspective of another culture, but it’s actually quite common to start a conversation this way. The other person might reply with something like: “it’s going great, how about you?”

2. “So what do you think about this …(place, event, weather, etc.)”

After making the initial greeting, it’s ok to ask someone what they think about the place or situation in which you’ve happen to meet. For example, if you meet at restaurant, you can ask “so what do you think of the food here?”

3. “What’s your plan for the weekend?”

After feeling like you’ve closed the gap a bit between you and the person you’ve just met, you can ask a slightly more personal question like this. Asking someone what their plan is for the weekend may even give him/her the opportunity to invite you to something.

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