# Introducing yourself in English: greetings, age, and answers to “How are you?”

To introduce yourself, you need a greeting, your name and age, where you are from, and what you do. A one-minute introduction and natural answers to “How are you?”.

Author: Aslıgül Aşkın · Published: 2026-10-01 · Updated: 2026-10-12
Page address: https://grammardots.com/en/blog/introduce-yourself-in-english

To introduce yourself in English you need a greeting, your name, your age, where you are from, and what you do. With these five pieces you can give a natural one-minute introduction.

## Saying hello and goodbye

Hello: “Hello.”, “Hi.”, “Good morning.”, “Good afternoon.”, “Good evening.” Goodbye: “Goodbye.”, “Bye.”, “See you later.”, “See you tomorrow.”, “Have a nice day.” “Good night” is only used when leaving at night or going to bed, never as a greeting.

## Formal and informal greetings

Greetings and replies by situation

| Situation | Greeting | Reply |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Meeting a friend | “Hi! How are you?” | “Hi! Good, thanks. And you?” |
| In the morning at work | “Good morning.” | “Morning! How are you?” |
| Meeting someone for the first time | “Nice to meet you.” | “Nice to meet you too.” |
| A very formal first meeting | “How do you do?” | “How do you do?” |

“How do you do?” is not a real question but a very formal way of saying “pleased to meet you”. The reply is not “I'm fine.” but “How do you do?” again. In everyday life, “Nice to meet you.” is far more common.

## A one-minute introduction

“Hi, my name is Deniz. I'm 25 years old. I'm from İzmir, but I live in Ankara now. I'm a nurse. In my free time, I like reading and swimming. Nice to meet you!” Fill the pattern with your own details and say it out loud.

## Introduction questions and answer patterns

Introduction questions and answers

| Information | Question | Answer pattern |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Name | “What's your name?” | “My name is Deniz.” |
| Age | “How old are you?” | “I'm 25.” |
| Home town | “Where are you from?” | “I'm from İzmir.” |
| Where you live now | “Where do you live?” | “I live in Ankara.” |
| Job | “What do you do?” | “I'm a nurse.” |

## Saying your name and asking again

“My name is Deniz.” is a little more formal and “I'm Deniz.” is more relaxed; both are correct. At work you can give your first name and surname together: “I'm Deniz Yılmaz.” If you didn't catch the other person's name, ask “Sorry, what was your name again?” If needed, spell your name out: “It's D-E-N-I-Z.”

## Saying your age

Age is said as “I'm 10.” or “I'm 10 years old.”, never “I have 10 years.” The question is “How old are you?” Children can also say half years: “I'm seven and a half!”

## Answers to “How are you?”

You don't always have to say “I'm fine, thank you.” Try “I'm good, thanks. And you?”, “Not bad.”, “Pretty good!”, “I'm a bit tired today.”, or “Great, thanks!” Asking “And you?” after your answer keeps the conversation going politely.

## Common mistakes Turkish speakers make

Common mistakes when introducing yourself

| Mistake | Correct | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| “Nice to meet with you.” | “Nice to meet you.” | The Turkish “biriyle tanışmak” suggests adding “with”; “meet” alone is enough. |
| “I'm 25 years.” | “I'm 25.” or “I'm 25 years old.” | After “years” you need “old”. |
| “I am nurse.” | “I'm a nurse.” | A job title needs “a” or “an” in front of it. |
| “I live Ankara.” | “I live in Ankara.” | Use “in” before the city where you live. |
| “Good night!” (arriving in the evening) | “Good evening!” | Turkish “İyi akşamlar” is both hello and goodbye; English uses “Good evening” to greet and “Good night” to leave. |

## A sample introduction dialogue

Here is a short conversation between two people meeting on the first day of a cooking class.

- “Hi, I'm Deniz.”
- “Hello, Deniz. I'm Emma. Nice to meet you.”
- “Nice to meet you too. Where are you from, Emma?”
- “I'm from Leeds, but I live in İzmir now. What about you?”
- “I'm from Bursa. I moved here for work. I'm a nurse.”
- “Oh, nice. I'm a teacher at a primary school.”
- “Great. Well, see you next week, Emma!”
- “See you, Deniz. Have a nice evening!”

Emma turns the question back with “What about you?”, and Deniz uses Emma's name when saying goodbye. Repeating a new person's name once sounds warm and helps you remember it.

To keep going, see [Starting a conversation in English: small talk phrases](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/english-small-talk-phrases) and [Talking about hobbies and weekend plans in English](https://grammardots.com/en/blog/hobbies-and-weekend-plans-in-english).

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need to say my age when I introduce myself?

No. Adults usually don't mention their age; your name, where you are from, and what you do are enough.

### Should I give a long answer to “How are you?”

Usually a short answer and “And you?” are enough. The question is often just part of the greeting.

### What is the difference between “Nice to meet you” and “Nice to see you”?

“Nice to meet you” is for the first time you meet someone. When you see someone you already know, say “Nice to see you.” or “Nice to see you again.”