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Learn English, make new friends
 
   

Making friends

Here are some 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

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 ("the sixteenth of May" or "May the sixteenth")
2 October ("the second of October" or "October the second")

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
MySpace
Skype
MSN
 
what's your username?