We usually greet people with “hi” or “hello.” “Hi” is a bit more casual.
Hello!
Hi!
Hey!
It’s common to say “hey” for informal meetings. It’s also important to know that the word “hey” can be used to grab someone’s attention.
How are you?
How are you doing?
How’s it going?
How have you been?
All the questions above have a similar meaning.
I’m fine, thanks.
I’m good, thanks.
I’m great, thanks!
Pretty good!
Not bad, thanks.
Many people say “not bad” to mean “quite good.”
If the person that you say hello to is a friend or somebody you know, you can say:
Hey, what’s up?
What’s new?
What’s happening?
What’s going on?
Nothing. / Not much. / Nothing much.
Be aware that, usually in English-speaking cultures, people don’t typically give away a lot of personal information during a brief, informal or accidental meeting.
Listen carefully to the two videos below. Make notes of the phrases and sentences. Pay special attention to pronunciation.
Other everyday greetings are:
How’s everything?
Long time no see.
Hey, long time no see.
How’s your day?
Good morning, good afternoon, good evening
To make “good morning” less formal, you could say “morning.”
If you want to wish someone well for the night before leaving or sleeping, you can also say “goodnight.”
Saying goodbye
Bye!
“Bye” is the short form of “goodbye.”
See ya, see you soon, hope to see you soon
When you plan to meet the person soon.
Take it easy, take care, take care of yourself
These three ways of saying goodbye encourage the person in question to look after themselves until you see them again. They are informal, polite, and a friendly way to end a meeting.