Self-introductions get practised more than any other piece of English, and practised wrong more than any other piece — because most people rehearse a paragraph, when what the situation calls for is three sentences that change depending on who's listening.
It's also usually your first sentence in a conversation. A large part of someone's judgement about your English is formed right there.
Here are 13 fixes, arranged as opening → saying who you are → closing, and split across interviews, work and social settings. They are not the same script, which is the most commonly missed point.
Opening: the first line sets the register
- ✗ My name is Anna Rossi. → ✓ Hi, I'm Anna Rossi. —— *My name is* isn't wrong, but it's the register of a form or a stage. Real conversations overwhelmingly use "I'm." Keep *my name is* for presenting to a room.
- ✗ Let me introduce myself. → ✓ (just start) Hi, I'm Anna — I work on the data team. —— Fine in front of fifty people. In front of two, it sounds like reading an agenda.
- ✗ Hello everyone, I am very glad to be here and very happy to… → ✓ Thanks for having me. —— Many languages open with a courtesy stretch. English opens by getting on with it.
- ✗ My English is not very good, sorry in advance. → ✓ (say nothing, just begin) —— This is pure self-sabotage. Nobody lowers their standard because you apologised first; they just start listening for mistakes.
Saying who you are
- ✗ My major is computer. → ✓ I studied computer science. / My background is in computer science. —— *Major* needs a full field name, and after graduation *studied / background in* is more natural anyway.
- ✗ I graduated Oxford. → ✓ I graduated from Oxford. —— The *from* isn't optional in careful speech.
- ✗ I have three years working experience. → ✓ I've been working in marketing for three years. / I have three years of experience in marketing. —— Either the perfect continuous or *years of*, and more importantly: name the field. "Three years of experience" on its own carries no information.
- ✗ I work in a company named Acme. → ✓ I work at Acme. —— *Named* is doing nothing.
- ✗ I am a hard-working and responsible person. → ✓ I shipped three features last quarter. —— The most important line here. Anyone can claim an adjective. English professional culture runs on facts and numbers. Want to say diligent? Say what you finished.
- ✗ I am good at communication. → ✓ I spend most of my day with designers and PMs. —— Same move: replace the claim with the evidence.
- ✗ I am interesting in marketing. → ✓ I'm interested in marketing. —— Very common slip: *-ing* describes the thing, *-ed* describes you.
Closing, and how settings differ
- ✗ That's all. Thank you. → ✓ That's me in a nutshell. / or simply stop. —— *That's all* belongs at the end of a report.
- ✗ (social) What is your job? → ✓ What do you do? —— The standard question, no *job* required.
The three-sentence structure
A real introduction isn't a paragraph. It's three lines:
1. Who you are — Hi, I'm Anna. 2. What you do — I work on the data team at Acme. / I'm doing a master's in economics. 3. Why you're both here ← only this line changes
The three versions of line three:
- Interview: I've spent three years on recommendation systems, which is why this role caught my eye.
- New job / work: I'll be working with your team on the analytics side, so you'll be seeing a lot of me.
- Social: I came with Ben — we used to work together.
Learn the structure instead of memorising scripts: the first two lines never change, and you only prepare line three per situation.
How to practise it
The counterintuitive part: the more fluent your introduction sounds, the more memorised it sounds. Delivering a flawless paragraph at speed is audible, and an interviewer will immediately start doubting everything that follows.
So don't drill the paragraph. Drill lines one and two until they're reflex (they never change), and improvise line three every time. Foundation plus live adaptation.
MirrorSay is suited to exactly this kind of "your own sentence" practice: you say your introduction, it shows how a native would put it and reads it aloud, you shadow it, and it compares your rhythm word by word. You're rehearsing your field, your company, your experience — not a fictional candidate's.
Related: English Job Interview for the rest of the interview, English Small Talk for what happens after the introduction.
*MirrorSay is a free AI speaking-practice app: say a sentence, see how a native would say it, then shadow it. No sign-up, and your voice stays on your phone.*