Present Be Verb (am / is / are)

Start here. The Be verb is essential for introducing yourself and others, and it forms the basis of sentences like “My name is…” and “I am from…”.

Could I Have Your Name, Please?

Listen to a conversation at a language school registration desk. A woman introduces herself and spells out her name so the receptionist can write it correctly on her registration form. This is a common situation for anyone registering for a class, a service, or an appointment in English.

Nice to Meet You

Listen to a conversation between a teacher and a student. The teacher asks the student questions about her name, where she was born, and what her parents do. These are common questions used to get to know someone, and they are useful for understanding how personal information is shared in conversation.

Meeting People

A short culture video with tips on how to strike up a conversation with someone new. Learn what kinds of questions and topics work well, and which ones to avoid.

Wh- Questions (who, what, where, when, why, how)

Learn the most important question words in English. These questions, like “Where are you from?” and “What do you do?”, are at the heart of every introduction.

Meeting New Neighbors

Listen to a man and woman meet for the first time at an apartment building and introduce themselves. The new neighbor offers help finding the grocery store and post office nearby. This kind of conversation is useful for anyone moving into a new home and wanting to build friendly relationships with the people living nearby.

Meeting Coworkers

Listen to a conversation about a woman starting a new job and meeting a coworker for the first time. The coworker helps her feel welcome on her first day. This kind of conversation is useful for anyone starting a new job and meeting colleagues for the first time. The lesson also introduces the idioms “break the ice” and “learn the ropes.”

Making Online Friends

Listen to two friends talk about meeting new people online and how friendships can form that way. The conversation touches on the benefits and the risks of making friends through social media.

New Friends

Listen to a man and woman get to know each other, sharing where they are originally from, what the man is studying, and what the woman does for work. This kind of conversation is useful for practicing how to share personal background information when meeting someone new. The lesson also introduces the idiom “a social butterfly,” used to describe someone who enjoys being around people.

Simple Present Tense with Action Verbs

Learn how to talk about routines, jobs, and everyday facts. This tense is essential for answering questions like “What do you do?” and “Where do you work?”

College Students

Listen to a man and woman meet and talk about their majors and studies. This kind of conversation is useful for practicing how to talk about your education and field of study when meeting someone new. The conversation includes the idiom “on the tip of my tongue” for when you can almost remember something.

Introductions

Watch Randall and Michael discuss which questions are natural to ask when meeting someone for the first time, depending on the situation. They explore why context matters when deciding what to say.

Meeting New People

Watch Randall and Aubrey talk through situations at an airport, a gym, and a party, deciding which questions feel comfortable to answer from someone you just met and which feel too personal.

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Wrap up this path with an idiom that means you cannot know someone just by their appearance, a fitting reminder as you meet new people and form first impressions.