Talking About Skills in English: Vocabulary & Examples

Sooner or later, we all need to talk about what we can do well. Talking about skills in English is particularly important when you are describing yourself in a job interview, writing a CV or cover letter, talking about your studies, or preparing for a B2 First or C1 Advanced exam.

And this is where many English learners run into a problem: they know what their skills are, but they are not always sure how to describe them naturally. Instead of repeating I’m good at…, English gives us plenty of useful ways to talk about abilities, strengths and weaknesses. 

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Talking about skills with good at / bad at

One of the most common ways to describe a skill is:

be + good/bad + at + noun or -ing form

Good at

• Our teacher is very good at motivating students.
• Mark is good at drawing and painting. He wants to be an artist.

Notice that when a verb follows at, we use the -ing form:

✅ She’s good at organising events.

❌ She’s good at organise events.

Bad at

• Martin is bad at maths, but his sister is even worse.
• I’m bad at remembering names.

More precise alternatives to good and bad

You do not always have to use good and bad. Choosing a more precise adjective can make your English sound more natural and expressive.

Positive 

excellent at

• She’s excellent at managing people.

great at

• George is great at playing the piano.

brilliant at

• Sandra is brilliant at dealing with difficult customers.

fantastic at

• Tom is fantastic at explaining complicated ideas.

skilled at

• She’s highly skilled at negotiating with clients.

Negative

not very good at

• I’m not very good at remembering dates.

no good at

• He’s no good at giving advice.

terrible at

• Terry is terrible at basketball, but fantastic at table tennis.

useless at

• I’m useless at finding my way around new cities.

hopeless at

• I’m hopeless at fixing things around the house.

Good at or good with?

Learners often confuse good at and good with, but there is an important difference.

We normally use:

good at + activity

but:

good with + people or things

Compare:

• She’s good at solving mathematical problems.
• She’s good with numbers.

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Talking about skills in English with have + skills

In professional English, we often use:

have + adjective + skills

Common adjectives include:

good, strong, excellent, outstanding, effective

• Tony has good listening skills and is a very supportive colleague.
• Our staff have excellent people skills.
• Tim has strong leadership skills.

Some particularly useful skill collocations are:

• communication skills
• leadership skills
• people skills
• interpersonal skills
• organisational skills
• problem-solving skills
• negotiation skills
• presentation skills
• language skills
• technical skills
• time-management skills
• customer-service skills

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Have a talent for

If somebody has a natural ability, you can say:

have a talent for + noun / -ing

• She has a talent for languages.
• He has a real talent for making people feel comfortable.

You can also use have a gift for, although this often suggests an especially natural or impressive ability.

• She has a gift for explaining complicated ideas simply.

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Be skilled at / skilled in

For more professional or formal English, skilled is extremely useful.

We can say:

be skilled at + -ing

• She is skilled at managing large teams.
• He is highly skilled at resolving conflicts.

We can also say:

be skilled in + noun

• She is skilled in project management.

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Be proficient in

Proficient in means that someone has a high level of ability, particularly in a language, subject, system or technical area.

be proficient in + noun

• Applicants should be proficient in English.
• She is proficient in several programming languages.

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Have the ability to

Another useful structure is:

have the ability to + infinitive

• She has the ability to remain calm under pressure.
• Good leaders have the ability to motivate others.

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How to talk about strengths

Instead of simply saying:

I’m good at communicating.

you can make your answer more specific:

• One of my strengths is communicating with different types of people.
• I have strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• I’m particularly good at explaining complicated information clearly.
• I would say that problem-solving is one of my strongest skills.
• One of my key strengths is my ability to stay calm under pressure.

Specific answers usually sound much more convincing than general claims.

Compare:

I have good communication skills.

with:

I’m good at explaining complicated information in a clear and straightforward way.

The second sentence actually shows what the skill means.

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How to talk about weaknesses

Talking about weaknesses does not mean that you have to describe yourself negatively.

Natural expressions include:

• I’m not particularly good at multitasking.
• Public speaking isn’t one of my strongest skills.
• Time management is something I’m still working on.
• I sometimes find it difficult to delegate tasks.
• I’m currently working on improving my presentation skills.

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Talking about skills in English at job interviews

If somebody asks:

What are your main strengths?

you could say:

I’d say one of my main strengths is communication. I’m good at explaining ideas clearly, and I’m comfortable dealing with different types of people.

Or:

I have strong organisational skills. I’m particularly good at prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines, even when I’m working under pressure.

Notice how each answer gives evidence or explanation rather than simply listing adjectives.

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Talking about skills in Cambridge exams

This vocabulary can also be useful in B2 First and C1 Advanced Speaking.

You may need to discuss:

• skills needed for different jobs
• learning new abilities
• education and training
• personal strengths
• teamwork
• communication
• technology
• leadership

For example:

I think one of the most important skills for a teacher is the ability to explain things clearly. Teachers also need to be good with people because they work with students from many different backgrounds.

At a more advanced level:

Although technical expertise is obviously important, strong interpersonal skills can be equally valuable because employees often need to collaborate, negotiate and resolve problems with others.

Talking about your skills in English is not about showing off. It is about being able to explain what you can do, what you do well and what you are still improving.

And with the right vocabulary, you can do that clearly, confidently and naturally.

Related posts:

• Talking about Your Job in English 
• Vocabulary for Job Interviews 
• Collocations Related to Work 
• Vocabulary for Business Communication 
• Job, Work, Career – What’s the Difference? 
• B2 First Speaking 
• General Questions for the B2 First Speaking Test with Answers 
• C1 Advanced Lessons 

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