In the introduction to this unit, you heard two soldiers introducing themselves. There are many ways to do this, and you may say different things to different people. We will go over some common words and phrases you can use. Read the words on the screen and practice saying them aloud during this video.

When greeting someone, you may be informal and say Hello, Hi, or Hey

Or you may be more formal and say Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on the time of day.

If you are meeting someone for the first time, you introduce yourself by saying I’m or My name is and then your name.

And then, It’s nice to meet you.

To ask them who they are, you can say What’s your family name? or What’s your name?

Sometimes, it’s good to get to know people by asking them questions and telling them about yourself. This is friendly and can make people feel less nervous. It can help you to build rapport, a positive relationship, with them.

To tell people about yourself, you can talk about where you are from:

I’m from Nepal.

I’m from a city or a village.

I speak English and Nepali.

In my country, it’s very hot or it’s very cold. 2

My home is in the desert or in the mountains or near the ocean.

You can talk about your job. You can say: I’m a peacekeeper. I have been a peacekeeper for 5 years.

Or you can talk about your hobbies, as you saw in the introduction dialogue.

To get to know people, here are other questions you can ask them: Where are you from?

Or, What’s your job?

They may say: I’m a farmer, soldier, teacher, doctor, or shopkeeper.

You can also say: Tell me about your family.

In some countries, it is rude for men to ask about women. So do not ask about someone’s wife, sister, or daughter unless you are a woman.

“Are you..?” and “Do you..?” are common ways of asking questions about people.

Are you a soldier or a civilian?

Do you speak English?

All of these examples are good to use if you have time to get to know someone. But if you need to get information from them quickly, the conversation may be different. After introducing yourself, you may need to make sure you are talking to the right person.

You can say “Are you..?” and then the name of the person you’re looking for.

For example: Are you Mohammed? or Are you the doctor?

If the person says no, you can say Where is or Please take me to

Where’s Mohammed?

Please take me to the doctor.

You can also use these phrases to find places or things.

Where’s the hospital?

Please take me to the bridge. 3

In some places, it is important to speak to the right person, usually the leader.

You can say: Who can help me? Who can I talk to? Or

Are you the leader? Please take me to the leader.

If you get confused while talking to someone, you can say

Please speak slowly or Please repeat or I don’t understand.

To make sure the other person understands you, you can ask, Do you understand?

Remember to use Please and Thank You. These are polite and help to build good rapport.

When you are done speaking to someone, here are some things you can say:

Thank you for talking with me. Thank you for your help. Goodbye.

Watch this video two or three times and practice reading and speaking the phrases before you move on to the next activity in this unit.

Key words in this video: