Talking About Myself

1The new girl at Kabeza Primary

It is the first day of P3. A new girl walks in. The teacher smiles and says, "Stand up and tell us who you are."

The girl looks at the floor. She knows exactly who she is. She just does not know the English words yet.

By the end of this lesson you will know them. Three short sentences, and you can introduce yourself to anybody in the world.

2Your name: "I am ..."

A girl stands up. Her name is Keza. She says:

I am Keza.

Now a boy stands up. His name is Gatete. He says:

I am Gatete.

Look at the two sentences. The name changed. But the two little words I am did not change at all.

So the shape is always the same: I am + your name. Say your own one out loud, right now. Nobody is listening!

You may also say "My name is Keza." Both are good English. I am is shorter, so we will use it today.

3Your age: "I am 8 years old."

Keza is eight. Watch how she says it:

I am 8 years old.

Here is a trap, and almost every child falls into it once. In Kinyarwanda you say that you have eight years. In English your years are not something you carry. In English you are your years.

• Wrong: "I have 8 years."
• Right: "I am 8 years old."

The shape is: I am + the number + years old. Nine? "I am 9 years old." Ten? "I am 10 years old."

4Your home: "I live in ..."

Keza's home is in Nyamata. She says:

I live in Nyamata.

That small word in must be there. "I live Nyamata" is not English. After in you put a place: your village, your sector, your town, your district.

A worked example, step by step

Meet Mugisha. He is 9 years old. His home is in Rwamagana. Let us build his introduction together, one step at a time.

1. Step 1 - greet. "Hello!"
2. Step 2 - name. Take I am and add his name: "I am Mugisha."
3. Step 3 - age. Take I am, add the number 9, then years old: "I am 9 years old."
4. Step 4 - home. Take I live in and add the place: "I live in Rwamagana."

Now push the four pieces together, and Mugisha can speak:

Hello! I am Mugisha. I am 9 years old. I live in Rwamagana.

Four small steps. One whole introduction. Now build the same thing with your own name, your own age and your own home.

Try it yourself

Do each one first, then tap Show answer to check.