The First English Lesson: “What is your name?”

The Most Beautiful Word in Every Language

The most beautiful word in English – and in every language – is your name. Do you agree?

A person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.”

– Dale Carnegie

In his best-selling book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People”, American author and lecturer Dale Carnegie encourages everyone to “Smile sincerely, and use the person’s name.” Why? Because everyone enjoys hearing their own name. Don’t you?

This is why, the very first “script” I teach goes like this:

– Hello. My name is Cheryl. What is your name?
– My name is ___________.
– Nice to meet you.
– Nice to meet you, too.

However, when we speak, we often use “reductions”. Instead of pronouncing “What is” (as in “What is your name?”), we often say; “What’s”.

Also, instead of saying “My name is ___”, sometimes we say,
“My name’s ___”, or simply: “I’m ____”.

– Hi. My name’s Cheryl. What’s your name?
– I’m ___________.
– Nice to meet you.
– Nice to meet you, too.

Where Are You From?

Chances are, if you are learning English, you are from a country in which English is not the native language. It is likely that you will be asked where you come from. If you are traveling, you will also be curious as to where other people are from. Here’s a simple script:

– Where are you from?
– I am from _________. Where are you from?
– I’m from Canada.

Once again, you can either say,
“I am from ____,” or
“I’m from ______.”

What’s Your Name? Where Are You From?

I would love to know who is reading my blog post – and where they are from! Please, I invite you to answer these questions in the comment section. Are you ready?
My name’s Cheryl. What’s your name? Where are you from?

If you are interested in online English classes, please contact me! My name is Cheryl 😉