Hello, I ‘am ….
Sara is a new student at Poltek Pratama Mulia Surakarta. Today is her first day at campus, so she wants to have as many as friends she can. She introduces herself to someone else she meets.
Sara : Hello. My name is Sara.
Heri : Hi. I am Heri Kusuma Wibawa. But you can call me Heri.
Sara : It is glad to meet you Heri.
Heri : It is glad to meet you too, Sara.
Where are you from?
Sara : Oo, I come from Solo. What about you?
Heri : Mmm, I am from Cirebon, West Java.
Sara : Cirebon. Wow, it is far away from Solo, isn’t it?
Are you a student here?
Heri : Yea, I am a student of electronic department. You?
Sara : That’s great, we are in the same department.
Ok, let’s pay attention to the dialog above. When Sara introduces herself to Heri, what does she inform? Sara informs her about her name, her origin and her occupation. The information which are given by Sara are called personal information.
A. Expression in Giving Personal Information and Introducing Yourself
Your name : I am Heri Kusuma Wibawa
My name is Heri Kusuma Wibawa.
You can call me Heri.
Your Occupation : I am a student at Poltek Pratama Mulia
I am from electronic department.
I am a teacher of SMK 2 Madiun
Your origin : I am from Cirebon
I come from Cirebon, West Java.
Your address : I live in Madiun.
I live on Slamet Riyadi. St. number 100
My house is at 23rd Slamet Riyadi st. Madiun
Personal Information
What you have learnt is a simple personal information. You can also inform more about yourself to other. Below, there is a cluster consisting items about personal information
Activity 1: Personal Information
Now look at the examples of how people give personal information.
- My name is Sara Kusuma Wardhani. But you can call me Sara. I come from Solo with my family. I am a student at Poltek Pratama Mulia Surakarta Office administration department.
- I am Heri Kusuma Wibawa. I was born on May 17, 1981. I am from Cirebon, West Java. But, now I live in a boarding house, at Jalan Panularan 17 Solo.
- Hi, I am Intan Savitri. You may call me Intan or Vitri. I am 23 years old. You may contact me on this phone number 237-590. I am a secretary in a law office. It is on Jalan Slamet Riyadi. Swimming and reading are my hobby besides corresponding through internet.
Activity 2
The passage below is about Intan Savitri. She has won the first prize of writing contest held by a national news paper. She is being interviewed by a reporter from a school magazine of SMU 1.
Intan Savitri is my full name, but my friends call me Intan. I was born in Cirebon, on August 7th, 1995. I come from a family of four. I have an elder sister and two younger brothers. My parents are from Central Java, but my elder sister and I were born in Cirebon. Now my family live in Cirebon.
My parents are teachers, and actually I come from a family of teacher. My elder sister is an English teacher at SMU 1 Cirebon. Meanwhile I am studying at Faculty of Letters majoring in English study.
I have been writing since I was in junior high school. I like writing very much because by writing I can express my idea, my feeling, and also my experience. Writing is a very exciting work. I hope I can have my own magazine someday.
Now, I am studying English here in Solo. It is hard for me because it is difficult for me to go home and meet my family. At least, once in a month, I go to Cirebon to meet my family. And I feel their warmth and care although I live far away from them.
To check your comprehension about the passage, read the following statements. Decide if the statement is true or false.
- Intan is an editor.
- She works for school magazine.
- Intan’s parents come from Surabaya.
- Intan is from Solo.
- Her elder sister works as an English teacher.
- Intan’s family lives in Solo.
- Intan likes writing about action.
- She has her own magazine.
Sometimes you want to know more about your friends. But you have to know how to ask for information of your friends. Here are the examples”
Name : What’s your name?
May I know your name?
Can you tell me your name?
Excuse me, are you Miss Intan?
Address : Where do you live?
What’s your address?
Do you live in Klaten?
Occupation : What is your job?
Are you a students/lecturer/trader?
What is your occupation now?
Excuse me, what kind of work do you have?
What do you do?
Hobbies : What are your hobbies?
Can you tell me about your hobbies?
Are singing and reading your hobbies?
What do you do for fun?
Place of Origin : Where are you from?
Excuse me, are you from Cirebon?
Where do you come from?
Age : Excuse me, how old are you now?
When were you born?
Are you twenties?
Activity 3 : Compiling Personal Data
- Full Name :
- Date, Place of Birth :
- Address :
- City :
- Province :
- Postal Code : Telephone
- Occupation :
- Hobby :
Verb
When we give personal information in English, we use a complete sentence. A complete sentence has a Subject (Italic) and a Predicate (Underlined). Let’s check the examples:
My name is Intan Savitri. My friends call me Intan.
I am from Cirebon, but now I live in Solo.
Intan and Heri is college students. They go to Poltek Pratama Mulia.
Yes/No Question with be
Are you from Solo? No, I am not from Solo, I am from Cirebon.
Are you a student? Yes, I am.
Is Intan a writer? Yes, she is.
Is Heri a reporter? No, he is not a reporter. He is a student.
Wh- question with be
What’s your name? My name is Intan.
Where are you from? I am from Cirebon.
Where do you live now? I live in Solo with my uncle.
When were you born? I wan born on May 17th, 1982.
B. Expression in Greetings and Leave-Taking
In English, there are certain expressions for greeting people and leave-taking.
Conversation: Greeting
A : Good morning, Intan.
B : Good morning, Heri.
A : How are you?
B : Fine thanks.
Pierre : Hello, Mrs. Garcia. How are you doing?
Mrs. Garcia : Pretty good, thanks. How about you, Pierre?
Pierre : Not bat, thanks.
Sometimes we meet people for the first time, like you in the first day of English lesson today.
Cathy : Hello, I am Cathy.
Tinna : How do you do? I am Tinna.
Cathy : How do you do? Pleased to meet you.
Tinna : I am fine thank you. How are you?
Cathy : I am fine too.
At the end of the meeting, we need to say something, that is take-leaving expressions:
A : Good bye. See you tomorrow.
B : See you. Take it easy.
C : Bye! See you later!
D : Yeah, bye!
E : Goodbye.
F : Bye-bye, see you on Wednesday
G : Goodbye. Have a nice evening.
H : Thanks. You too!
I : Until the next time
J : So long. Take it easy.
Activity 4 Situation
- You see a new person in your school, looking lonely. Introduce yourself to him/her.
- You meet your old friend again after four years.
- You are student at Pratama Mulia and you meet your teacher after class.
Activity 5 Writing about Yourself
Now, you know how to ask for and give personal information. Now write about yourself and include any personal information that you want to tell.
Reference
Agus Dwi Priyanto, S.S., English for All. Pratama Mulia Computer Course. Surakarta.
Bruce Tillit, et. all. 1985. Speaking Naturally. Cambride: Cambride University Press
Interchange 1
Mark Fletcher. 1994. Making Polite English. English Experience. London
Yayasan LIA. 1996a. All about People. Jakarta. PT. Siwibakti Darma.





















