Speaking Boost · A2 · Lesson 1 of 50
Speaking Boost A2 · Block 1: All About Me

How do people say hello around the world?

Bows, kisses, handshakes and even touching noses! Learn how people say hello in different countries, introduce yourself in English and meet new colleagues.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

About you

Answer each question with 2–3 sentences.

  1. What is your name? Does it have a special meaning?
  2. Where do you come from?
  3. Where do you live now?
  4. What do you do: do you work or study?
  5. What do you like doing in your free time?
  6. How do you usually say hello to friends?
2

Words and phrases

12 min
2.1

New words

Read each word and the example. Then say one sentence about yourself with this word.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word that fits.

  1. Before the meeting, let me myself.
  2. In Japan, people often instead of shaking hands.
  3. At work, we usually .
  4. My grandmother always wants to me.
  5. I don't know that man. He's a .
  6. Olena works with me. She's my .
  7. He lives in the flat next to me. He's my .
  8. I don't talk much when I meet new people. I'm a bit .
2.3

Opposites

Choose the opposite, then press Check answers.

  1. shy ↔
  2. a stranger ↔ a
  3. polite ↔
  4. friendly ↔
  5. to say hello ↔ to say
  6. free time ↔
2.4

Useful phrases

Practise a short introduction with your teacher using these phrases.

  • Hi, I'm... Nice to meet you.Привіт, я... Приємно познайомитися.Hi, I'm Ivan. Nice to meet you.
  • I'm from... but I live in...Я з..., але живу в...I'm from Odesa, but I live in Kyiv.
  • I work as a... / I'm a...Я працюю... / Я...I work as a teacher.
  • In my free time, I like...У вільний час я люблю...In my free time, I like cooking.
  • What about you?А ти?I love music. What about you?
  • Where are you from?Звідки ти?Where are you from? — I'm from Poland.
  • What do you do?Чим ти займаєшся?What do you do? — I'm a student.
  • See you soon!До зустрічі!It was nice to meet you. See you soon!
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

Hello around the world

Read the text. Hover over the dotted words for help.

How do people say hello around the world?

Saying hello looks easy. But it's different in every country!

In Ukraine, men often shake hands. Friends and family hug or kiss on the cheek. In France, people kiss on the cheek too, but how many times? It depends on the region: two, three or even four times!

In Japan, people usually bow. A small bow is for friends. A deep bow shows a lot of respect. In India, many people put their hands together and say "Namaste".

In New Zealand, the Māori people have a special greeting called the "hongi": two people press their noses and foreheads together. In some parts of Tibet, people traditionally showed their tongue to say hello!

So, when you travel, watch what local people do. And if you don't know what to do, a smile always works.

3.2

True or false?

  1. In Ukraine, men often shake hands.
  2. In France, people always kiss on the cheek once.
  3. A deep bow in Japan shows a lot of respect.
  4. The "hongi" is a greeting from India.
  5. The text says a smile always works.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. How do you say hello to your friends, your boss and your grandparents?
  2. Which greeting from the text do you like most? Why?
  3. Do you like hugging people you don't know well?
  4. What do you do when you meet a foreigner?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

Present Simple

Facts and habits. He / she / it + -s.

I live in Kyiv. She works in a bank. He comes from Lviv.

Negatives

don't / doesn't + verb.

I don't like coffee. He doesn't work on Fridays.

Questions

Do / Does + subject + verb? Question words first.

Where do you live? What does she do? Do you have any brothers?

Question words: What, Where, When, Who, Why, How, How often, How long, What time. Careful: ✗ Where you live? → Where do you live? ✗ She work → She works.

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. Where
    live?
  2. She
    in a hospital.
  3. He
    speak English.
  4. your brother do?
  5. I
    from Kharkiv.
  6. you have any pets?
  7. My parents
    in a village.
  8. do you see your friends?
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. Where you work? →
  2. She live in Lviv. →
  3. He don't like tea. →
  4. What do your sister do? →
  5. Does you have a car? →
  6. I comes from Ukraine. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer in full sentences. Use Present Simple.

  1. Introduce yourself: name, city, job, family, hobbies.
  2. Ask your teacher five questions about their life.
  3. Tell about your best friend: where does he / she live, what does he / she do?
  4. What do you usually do on weekdays?
  5. What don't you like doing?
  6. Tell about a person in your family: what do they do, what do they like?
5

Meet new people

8 min
5.1

Who are they?

Talk about each person in the third person: "Maria comes from Spain. She lives in..." Then choose one and imagine you meet them: what questions would you ask?

Person 1

Maria, 34

  • From Spain, lives in Kyiv
  • Works as a doctor
  • Loves dancing and cooking
  • Has two cats
Person 2

Tom, 27

  • From Canada, lives in Lviv
  • English teacher
  • Plays the guitar
  • Doesn't eat meat
Person 3

Yuki, 41

  • From Japan, lives in Tokyo
  • Engineer
  • Likes hiking
  • Visits Ukraine every year
5.2

Your profile

Practise with your teacher.

  1. Create a short profile about yourself like the ones above (4 facts).
  2. Tell your teacher your profile.
  3. Your teacher tells you their profile. Ask three questions about it.
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. What is your full name? Who chose it?
  2. How old are you? (only if you want to say!)
  3. What is your job? Do you like it?
  4. What languages do you speak?
  5. Where do you live? Do you like it there?
  6. How do you travel to work or school?
  7. What do you do at the weekend?
  8. What three words describe you?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Who is your best friend? How did you meet?
  2. What does your best friend do?
  3. Do you know your neighbours?
  4. Who in your family are you most similar to?
  5. What do your colleagues or classmates like?
  6. Who is the friendliest person you know?
6.3

Part III: A bit deeper

  1. Is it easy for you to meet new people?
  2. Are people in your city friendly to strangers?
  3. Do you prefer meeting people online or in real life?
  4. What do you notice first about a new person?
  5. Is it polite to ask someone's age?
7

Roleplay

12 min
7.1

The first day

You

New employee

It's your first day at a new job in an international company. Introduce yourself to a new colleague:
  • say your name, where you're from and where you live
  • say what you do and what your job is
  • talk about your free time
  • ask the colleague 3 questions
Speak for at least 2 minutes in total. Use Present Simple.
Your teacher

New colleague

Answers and asks short questions, for example:
  1. Nice to meet you! Where are you from?
  2. Do you live near the office?
  3. What do you do at the weekend?
  4. Do you have any children?
7.2

The language exchange

You

Ukrainian partner

You're at a language exchange café. Your partner is a foreigner who wants to learn about you and Ukraine:
  • introduce yourself in detail
  • tell them about your city
  • tell them how people say hello in Ukraine
  • ask about their country
You do most of the talking. Use: I'm from... · I live in... · In Ukraine, people usually... · What about you?
Your teacher

Foreign visitor

Asks simple questions, for example:
  1. Where do you come from?
  2. Is it a big city?
  3. Do people kiss when they meet?
  4. What do you like doing?
8

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

introducegreetshake handsstrangercolleagueneighbourshyfriendly
  1. Can I myself? I'm Anna.
  2. In Japan, people often each other with a bow.
  3. At business meetings, we .
  4. I don't know her. She's a .
  5. My sits next to me at work.
  6. Our has a beautiful garden.
  7. My son doesn't talk to new people. He's .
  8. The people in this shop are very .
H2

Present Simple: choose the correct form

  1. Where live?
  2. She at a school.
  3. He like coffee.
  4. What your mother do?
  5. I in Odesa.
  6. you speak French?
  7. My friends football on Sundays.
  8. do you go to the gym?
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. Where do you live?
  2. She come from Poland.
  3. He doesn't work on Mondays.
  4. Does you like music?
  5. What does your father do?
  6. I doesn't have a car.
  7. They live in a big house.
H4

Match the two halves

  1. Hi, I'm Ivan.
  2. I'm from Odesa,
  3. I work
  4. In my free time,
  5. I love music.
  6. Where are you from?
  7. It was nice to meet you.

Finished the lesson?

Mark it as complete to keep track of your progress.

© Yevheniia Kolesnykova, Academy of Languages. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse without written permission.