Making friends

Here are some English phrases to use when meeting new people, including introductions and some simple conversation topics.

Introductions

What's your name?
My name's …
Chris
Emily
I'm …
Ben
Sophie
This is …
Lucy
my wife
my husband
my boyfriend
my girlfriend
my son
my daughter
I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name
Do you know each other?
Nice to meet you
Pleased to meet you
How do you do? (formal expression used when meeting someone new; the correct reply is how do you do?)
How do you know each other?
We work together
We used to work together
We were at school together
We're at university together
We went to university together
Through friends

Where are you from?

Where are you from?
Where do you come from?
Whereabouts are you from?
I'm from …
England
Whereabouts in … are you from?
Canada
What part of … do you come from?
Italy
Where do you live?
I live in …
London
France
I'm originally from Dublin but now live in Edinburgh
I was born in Australia but grew up in England

Further conversation

What brings you to …?
England
I'm on holiday
I'm on business
I live here
I work here
I study here
Why did you come to …?
the UK
I came here to work
I came here to study
I wanted to live abroad
How long have you lived here?
I've only just arrived
A few months
About a year
Just over two years
Three years
How long are you planning to stay here?
Until August
A few months
Another year
I'm not sure
Do you like it here?
Yes, I love it!
I like it a lot
It's OK
What do you like about it?
I like the …
food
weather
people
Three woman chatting with gourmet snacks and wine

Ages and birthdays

How old are you?
I'm …
twenty-two
thirty-eight

Note that it's also correct to say the words years old after your age, for example I'm forty-seven years old, although this is rarely used in spoken language.

When's your birthday?
It's …
16 May
2 October

Living arrangements

Who do you live with?
Do you live with anybody?
I live with …
my boyfriend
my girlfriend
my partner
my husband
my wife
my parents
a friend
friends
relatives
Do you live on your own?
I live on my own
I share with one other person
I share with … others
two
three

Asking for contact details

What's your phone number?
What's your email address?
What's your address?
Could I take your phone number?
Could I take your email address?
Are you on …?
Facebook
Skype
What's your username?
sound

Sound is available for all the English phrases on this page — simply click on any phrase to hear it.

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