You probably
already know “hello” and “how are you?”. However, English speakers don’t always
say “hello” and “how are you?”. They also use many other English greetings and
expressions to say slightly different things. You can also use such English greetings
to sound more natural, and also to express yourself more clearly and precisely.
Greetings are a part of every conversation, it is important to know how
to use them properly and with confidence. It’s easy to become fluent with their
use because you have an opportunity to practice them every time you talk to
someone. Over the course of a day you can practice dozens of times until you
have achieved total confidence in their use.
The first moments of an interaction you have with someone are crucial because
they set the tone for the conversation to follow. If you start a conversation
doubting yourself and unsure of what you’re saying this will effect your
performance for the rest of the conversation. But if you can effortlessly use
the right greetings then you will feel confident during the rest of the
conversation.
It’s important that you feel confident when greeting someone because
they will quickly form a first impression of you that may be hard to change
later on. If you greet someone with confidence they will feel more comfortable
with you and will form a positive first impression. If you stumble around and
aren’t sure of what you’re doing, they may misjudge your true level of English
and speak to you differently than you’d like.
Let’s learn how to use some other simple formal and informal English
greetings, as well as fun slang expressions that people around the world use to
greet each other. Here is a list of
greetings that you can use.
- Common English
Greetings and Expressions
English-speaking
people usually greet each other in an informal way, so you can use these common
conversational greetings for friends, family, as well as people you meet in
casual settings.
1. Hey, Hey man, or Hi
You can use “hey”
and “hi” to greet someone instead of “hello”. Both are particularly popular
among younger people. While “hi” is appropriate to use in any casual situation,
“hey” is for people who have already met. If you say “hey” to a stranger, it
might be confusing for that person because he or she will try to remember when
you met before! You can also add “man” to the end of “hey” when greeting males.
Some people also use “hey man” to casually greet younger women, but only do
this if you know the woman very well. Remember that “hey” doesn’t always mean
“hello”. “Hey” can also be used to call for someone’s attention.
2. How’s it going? or How are you doing?
These are casual
ways of asking “how are you?” If you’re trying to be particularly polite, stick
with “how are you?” but otherwise, you can use these expressions to greet
almost anyone. The word “going” is usually shortened, so it sounds more
like “go-in”. You can answer with “it’s going well” or “I’m doing well”
depending on the question. Although it’s not grammatically correct, most
people just answer “good” – and you can too. Like when responding to “how are
you?” you can also follow your answer by asking “and you?”.
3. What’s up?, What’s new?, or What’s going on?
These are some
other informal ways of asking “how are you?” which are typically used to
casually greet someone you have met before. Most people answer with “nothing”
or “not much”. Or, if it feels right to make small talk, you could also
briefly describe anything new or interesting that’s going on in your life,
before asking “what about you?” to continue the conversation.
4. How’s everything ?, How are things?, or How’s life?
These are some other common ways of asking “how are
you?” They can be used to casually greet anyone, but most often they’re used to
greet someone you already know. To these, you can answer “good” or “not bad”.
Again, if small talk feels appropriate, you could also briefly share any
interesting news about your life, and then ask the person “what about you?” or
another greeting question.
5. How’s your day? or How’s your day going?
These questions
mean “how are you?” not just right now, but how you’ve been all day. You would
use these greetings later in the day and with someone you see regularly. For
example, you might ask a co-worker one of these questions in the afternoon, or
a cashier that you see at the grocery store every evening. “It’s going well” is
the grammatically correct response, but many people simply answer with “fine”,
“good” or “alright”. By the way, notice that “good”, “fine” or “not bad” are
perfect answers to almost any greeting
question.
6. Good to see you, or Nice to see you.
These casual
greetings are used with friends, co-workers or family members that you haven’t
seen in a while. It’s common for close friends to hug when they greet each
other, particularly if they haven’t seen each other in some time; so you might
use this greeting along with a hug or handshake depending on your relationship
with the person.
7. Long time no see or It’s been a while
These casual
greetings are used when you haven’t seen someone in a long time, particularly
if you meet that person unexpectedly. How much is a long time?
It depends on how often you normally see that person. For example, you could
use one of these greetings if you normally see the person every week, but then
don’t see them for a few months or more. Usually, these phrases are followed
with a question like “how are you”, “how have you been?” or “what’s new?”
- Business Greetings
and Formal Greetings
It’s best to begin
by using formal greetings in most business situations, and then listen to how
your co-workers or business partners greet you. It’s a good idea to wait until
someone speaks casually with you before you speak casually with them. You may
find that people will begin to use casual greetings with you over time, as you
get to know each other better. Formal greetings are also used when you meet
older people.
8. Good morning, Good afternoon, or Good evening
These are formal
ways of saying “hello”, which change depending on the time of day. Keep
in mind that “good night” is only used to say “good bye”, so if you meet
someone late in the day, remember to greet them with “good evening”, rather
than “good night”. Good morning can be made more casual by simply saying
“morning”. You can also use “afternoon” or “evening” as informal
greetings, but these are less commonly used.
9. It’s nice to meet you or Pleased to meet you
These greetings
are formal and polite. If you say this to someone when you meet him or her for
the first time, it will make you seem courteous. Remember to only use these
greetings the first time
you meet someone. Next time you see the person you can show that you remember
him or her by saying “it’s nice to see you again”.
10. How have you been?
This greeting
question is only asked by people who have already met. If someone asks you “how
have you been?” they want to know if you have been well since the last time the
two of you met.
11. How do you do?
This greeting is
VERY formal, and quite uncommon, but it may still be used by some older people.
The proper response is “I’m doing well” or, as strange as it seems, some people
even ask “how do you do?” right back as an answer.
Slang greetings
are extremely informal, and should only be used with people that you know very
well, and feel very comfortable with. Keep in mind that a lot of slang is
regional, and using Australian slang, for example, in America can sound quite
strange. You’ll need to learn the local slang wherever you are, but these
common examples will help you get started.
12. Yo!
This extremely
informal greeting is common in America. It comes from 1990’s hip-hop slang and
these days it’s often used jokingly. This greeting should only be used with
very close friends, and never in a business setting.
13. Are you OK?, You alright?, or Alright mate?
This casual way of
asking both “hello” and “how are you” is common in Britain. You can respond
“yeah, fine”, or simply “alright”.
14. Howdy!
This is a very
informal abbreviation of “how do you do?” that is common in certain parts of
Canada and the U.S. Keep in mind that if you say “howdy” outside of these
regions, you will sound like a cowboy, and it might make the other person
laugh.
15. Sup? or Whazzup?
These greetings
are abbreviations of “what’s up?” which are common among teenagers. Like with
“what’s up?” you can answer “nothing” or “not much”.
16. G’day mate!
This casual
greeting is an Australian abbreviation of “good day”. Keep in mind that
Australian greetings often use “ya” instead of “you”. So “how are ya?” is the
same as “how are you?”, and “how are ya going?” is basically the same as “how’s
it going?” or “how are you doing?”
17. Hiya!
This greeting,
short for “how are you?”, is commonly used in certain parts of England. However,
you don’t need to actually answer this question – you can just say “hey!” right
back. I hope you enjoy trying out these new English greetings. You’ll
find that greeting people in different ways will help your English sound more
natural, and it might even make English greetings more fun and interesting for
you.
- One Last Tip
About Learning English
What’s the key to
learning conversational English? Using the right content and tools. After all,
a regular textbook isn’t going to teach you the casual English you need to
know. You need to learn from real English like it’s spoken on TV.
http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/english-greetings-expressions/\http://reallifeglobal.com/23-different-ways-greet-someone-english/
