Lesson 1: Greetings & Self-Introduction

📅 June 30, 2026 ⏱ ~15 minutes 📊 Level: Beginner 🎯 Skill: Speaking

When you meet a business owner for the first time, the first 30 seconds decide everything. A good greeting and introduction makes the client feel comfortable. A bad one makes them lose interest.

In this lesson, you will learn how to:

Part 1: Professional Greetings

In English, we use different greetings depending on the time of day:

Time Greeting Pronunciation
Morning (before 12 PM) Good morning gud MOR-ning
Afternoon (12 PM – 5 PM) Good afternoon gud af-ter-NOON
Evening (after 5 PM) Good evening gud EEV-ning
Any time (friendly) Hello / Hi heh-LOH / hai
💡 Pronunciation Tip

Many Hindi speakers say "Good morning, sir" very fast, like one word: "gudmorningsir". Instead, say it clearly with small pauses: "Good... morning... sir." Slow and clear sounds more confident than fast and unclear.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ "Good night" is NOT a greeting. It means goodbye (only at night).
❌ "Myself Altamash" — this is incorrect. Say "My name is Altamash" or "I am Altamash."
❌ "I am from sales side" — say "I work in sales."

Part 2: Introducing Yourself

A good self-introduction has 4 parts:

The 4-Part Introduction Formula
  1. Greeting — "Good morning, sir."
  2. Your name — "My name is Altamash."
  3. Your company/work — "I work with [company] / I help businesses with digital marketing."
  4. Purpose of visit — "I am here to discuss how we can help your business grow online."

Full Example

You: Good morning, sir. My name is Altamash. I help businesses grow online through websites and digital marketing. I would like to discuss how we can help your business reach more customers.
📌 Key Phrase

"I help businesses grow online" — This is much better than "I make websites." It tells the client about the benefit, not just the product.

Part 3: Grammar — Simple Present Tense

When you introduce yourself, you use the Simple Present Tense. Let's understand it deeply.

When do we use Simple Present?

We use Simple Present Tense in 4 situations:

Situation Example Why?
1. Facts (things that are always true) "The sun rises in the east." This is always true — it never changes.
2. Habits & Routines (things you do regularly) "I visit clients every day." You do this again and again — it is your routine.
3. Your job / What you do "I sell digital marketing services." This is your work — it describes who you are.
4. Feelings & opinions "I believe this will help your business." Your beliefs and feelings use Simple Present.

✅ Positive Form (Affirmative)

Formula

I / You / We / They + base verb
He / She / It + verb + s/es

Subject Correct ✓ Wrong ✗
I I work in sales. I works in sales.
He He works in sales. He work in sales.
We We offer SEO services. We offers SEO services.
She She manages the team. She manage the team.
💡 The -s / -es Rule (For He / She / It)

❌ Negative Form

Formula

I / You / We / They + do not (don't) + base verb
He / She / It + does not (doesn't) + base verb

Notice: After "doesn't", the verb goes back to base form — no -s!

Correct ✓ Wrong ✗
I don't work on Sundays. I don't works on Sundays.
He doesn't sell physical products. He doesn't sells physical products.
We don't charge for consultation. We doesn't charge for consultation.

❓ Question Form

Formula

Do + I / you / we / they + base verb?
Does + he / she / it + base verb?

Again: After "does", the verb is base form — no -s!

Correct ✓ Wrong ✗
Do you offer SEO services? Do you offers SEO services?
Does he work with restaurants? Does he works with restaurants?
Do they need a website? Do they needs a website?

⏰ Time-Signal Words (These tell you to use Simple Present)

When you see or hear these words, it is usually Simple Present Tense:

Common Time Signals

always · usually · often · sometimes · rarely · never · every day · every week · every month · on Mondays · in the morning

Your Sales Examples

I always greet the client first.
I usually visit 5 shops every day.
We never charge for the first consultation.
He sometimes asks for a discount.

🚫 Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make
📚 Raymond Murphy Reference

This grammar topic is covered in English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy — Units 2, 3, and 5. Read Unit 2 (Present Simple — positive), Unit 3 (Present Simple — negative & questions), and do the exercises on the right page of each unit.

📖 Get the book (Cambridge University Press)

📖 See the full tense reference: Grammar: Tenses

Part 4: Today's Vocabulary (10 Words)

📌 Word Types — What do they mean?
# Word Type Pronunciation Meaning Synonyms ≈ Antonyms ≠ Example
1 Greet verb greet To say hello to someone welcome, salute ignore, snub "Always greet the client first."
2 Introduce verb in-troh-DOOS To tell someone your name and who you are present, acquaint conceal, hide "Let me introduce myself."
3 Professional adjective proh-FESH-un-ul Related to work; behaving in a business-like way formal, skilled, expert unprofessional, casual, amateur "His email was very professional."
4 Client noun KLY-unt A person or business that pays for your services customer, buyer seller, vendor "I have a meeting with a client today."
5 Service noun SUR-vis Work you do for someone (not a physical product) solution, offering, assistance product, goods "We offer website development services."
6 Business owner phrase (noun) BIZ-nes OH-ner A person who owns and runs a business entrepreneur, proprietor employee, worker "The business owner wanted a new website."
7 Digital marketing phrase (noun) DIJ-ih-tul MAR-keh-ting Marketing (advertising) done on the internet online marketing, internet marketing traditional marketing, offline marketing "Digital marketing helps you get more customers online."
8 Opportunity noun op-or-TOO-nih-tee A good chance to do something or achieve something chance, prospect, opening obstacle, disadvantage "This is a great opportunity for your business."
9 Discuss verb dis-KUSS To talk about something in detail talk about, review, go over ignore, avoid "Can we discuss your business needs?"
10 Pleasure noun PLEH-zhur A feeling of happiness; used in polite greetings delight, joy, happiness displeasure, pain "It's a pleasure to meet you."

📖 All vocabulary is also in the Vocabulary Glossary for revision.

Part 5: Roleplay — Meeting a Restaurant Owner

Read this example conversation carefully. Then, try to create your own version.

Situation: You walk into a restaurant. The owner is sitting at the counter. You want to sell him a website and Google Business Profile optimization.

You: Good afternoon, sir. How are you?
Client: I am good. How can I help you?
You: My name is Altamash. I help restaurants and businesses grow online. I noticed your restaurant does not have a website or a Google Business Profile. I would like to discuss how we can help you get more customers from Google.
Client: Hmm, I don't know much about this. What is Google Business Profile?
You: It is a free listing on Google. When someone searches for "restaurants near me," your restaurant can appear on Google Maps with your photos, menu, phone number, and reviews. We can set it up and optimize it for you.
Client: Interesting. And a website?
You: A website gives your business a professional online presence. Customers can see your menu, book a table, and contact you easily. It also helps your restaurant appear higher on Google search results.
Client: Okay, let me think about it.
You: Of course, sir. Here is my card. I would love to discuss this more whenever you are free. It was a pleasure meeting you.
💡 Sales Communication Tip

Notice these professional phrases:

Part 6: Practice Quiz

Quiz 1 — Greetings

It is 3 PM. You are meeting a shop owner. What do you say?

Quiz 2 — Introduction

Which is the CORRECT way to introduce yourself?

Quiz 3 — Simple Present Tense

Choose the correct sentence:

Quiz 4 — Vocabulary

What does "opportunity" mean?

Score: 0 / 0

Part 7: Pronunciation Practice

Say these sentences out loud. Speak slowly. Pause between words. Confident speakers are clear, not fast.

Practice saying these 5 times each
  1. "Good morning, sir. My name is Altamash."
  2. "I help businesses grow online."
  3. "I would like to discuss your business needs."
  4. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
  5. "We offer website development and digital marketing services."
💡 Pronunciation Tips for This Lesson

🔊 Hear native pronunciation of any word: YouGlish or Forvo

Part 8: Listening Practice

Watch this video to hear professional English greetings and introductions in a business setting:

Recommended Resource:
British Council — Business English: Starting a Conversation
Watch or listen to the first lesson on professional introductions. Pay attention to how speakers say "hello," introduce themselves, and state their purpose.

📝 Today's Homework

Complete these tasks before the next lesson:

  1. Write your own self-introduction (4 sentences) using the formula from Part 2. Send it to me in our next chat.
  2. Practice saying your introduction out loud — 5 times, slowly and clearly.
  3. Use 3 new vocabulary words from today's list in a WhatsApp message to a friend or colleague (in English).
  4. Read the roleplay dialogue (Part 5) again and try to say the "You" parts from memory.
  5. Write 5 sentences about your work using the Simple Present Tense. Example: "I visit clients every day."
🤖 Ask Me Anything

If anything in this lesson is unclear, ask me in our chat. I am your personal English coach. There are no bad questions — only bad silence. Type your doubt and I will explain it simply.

← This is Lesson 1 Lesson 2: Asking Questions →
Spoken English Learning — Lesson 1
📖 Vocabulary Glossary · 📐 Grammar Reference