Five ways to make friends using English

We often find ourselves in situations where we

have to make friends, especially if we are
international students or migrants in Australia.
What can you say when you want to make friends
with people? Read on and learn five tips to get
you started.

1. Introduce yourself
A good way to make a new friend is to go up to
someone and just introduce yourself. This is
useful in a social situation or when you are in a
group. You can say:

Hi I’m Amy. What’s your name?

Hi I’m Dean. Nice to meet you.
Hello! I’m Lachlan.
My name is Grace.
If you need someone to repeat their name, you
can politely ask:

I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.

Sorry I didn’t get that.
2. Talk about the situation you both are in
If you find yourself in a situation where you see
someone moving into the student accommodation
you’re in, you can say:

Hello! Did you just move in?

Welcome! I’m Ali. I live next door.
Do you come here often? How do you find it
here? I’m Sam by the way.
How long have you lived here?
You can also introduce someone who is with you
by saying:

This is Trung.
This is my friend, Trung.
3. Discuss common topics
If you are keen to make friends, it’s a good idea to
find out more about the person. You can ask
about their work or what they are studying at
university:

What do you do?

Where are you studying?
You can also ask them where they are from. You
can talk about your country of origin and/or your
nationality.

"I grew up in Indonesia but I live in Australia now."

"Are you new here? I’m Rosie by the way."

Inviting friends
Inviting friends.
Image:
Unsplash CC

4. Extend an invitation
If you are at a club meeting or a social gathering,
you can extend an invitation to your new friend. It
could be for a coffee or just for a chat:

Why don’t you join us?

Do you want to come along?
Or if you want to join a group, you can say:
I’m new here. Is it ok if I join you all?
5. Keep in touch
It's a good idea to keep in touch with your new
friends and you can do that by saying:

"Lovely to meet you, let’s keep in touch."

"What’s your number? Let’s stay in touch."

"Can you give me your email address? I will send

you an email."

"Are you on Facebook? I'll add you!"