5 phrases · A1 · A2

Starting and ending in English

Every phrase below is a fixed shape you can fill in and use immediately, ordered from the simplest to the most advanced. Each one carries what it means in English and in Hindi, three examples that vary the slot, and the situations it actually gets said in.

The phrases

Simplest first. The braces mark the part you change.

  • My name is {NAME}

    A1

    Give your name.

    मेरा नाम ___ है।

    • My name is Priya.
    • My name is Rahul, and I work in sales.
    • My name is Anjali, but everyone calls me Anju.

    As a question: What is your name?

    Anywhere · say it as: My name is / Priya · used interviews, on the phone

  • I am from {PLACE}

    A1

    Say where you come from.

    मैं ___ से हूँ।

    • I am from Indore.
    • I am from a small town near Jaipur.
    • I am from Kerala, but I have been working in Bangalore for two years.

    As a question: Where are you from?

    Anywhere · say it as: I am from / Indore · used interviews, college

  • Nice to meet you

    A1

    What you say when you meet somebody for the first time.

    आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा।

    • Nice to meet you.
    • Nice to meet you, sir.
    • Nice to meet you too — I have heard a lot about you.

    Anywhere · say it as: Nice to / meet you · used at work, interviews

  • How have you been

    A2

    Greet somebody you have not seen for a while.

    आप कैसे रहे?

    • How have you been?
    • How have you been these days?
    • How have you been since we last met?

    Anywhere · say it as: How have you / been · used everyday life, at work

  • It was nice talking to you

    A2

    Close a conversation properly instead of letting it trail off.

    आपसे बात करके अच्छा लगा।

    • It was nice talking to you.
    • It was nice talking to you — let us catch up again soon.
    • It was nice talking to you, and thank you for your time.

    Polite — strangers, seniors, customers · say it as: It was nice / talking to you · used on the phone, at work

What goes wrong

The versions that get said instead, and why they land differently.

Commonly saidCorrect English

Myself Priya.

My name is Priya.

"Myself" is not a way to introduce yourself in English, though it is very common in Indian offices.

I am belonging to Indore.

I am from Indore.

"Belong to" is about things you own, not the place you come from.

Nice to meet you again.

Nice to see you again.

You can only MEET somebody for the first time. After that you SEE them.

Where you will need these

The same phrases, sorted by the room you are standing in.

More phrase groups on the phrases index, or browse by situation on the speaking pages.

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

A phrase you have read is not a phrase you can reach for. CoCap makes you produce it, in a conversation, and corrects what comes out.

Practise these out loud →

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