Information Sheet 1.3-2

Information Sheet 1.3-2: Using Basic Greetings and Expressions

Commonly Used Expressions

Let’s learn how to use some other simple formal and informal English greetings, as well as fun slang expressions that English-speakers use to greet each other.

What is a Greeting in English?

Greetings in English are expressions or sometimes gestures used when meeting someone. They are a way to show respect, friendliness and goodwill.

Common English greetings include phrases such as “hello,” “hi” and “good morning.”

Depending who you are with, greetings can range from formal to informal. Knowing a good range of greetings will help you start a conversation off right with anyone, no matter what the situation is!

Formal Greetings in English

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.

1. Good morning  / Good afternoon  / 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 “goodbye,” 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 simply use “afternoon” or “evening” as informal greetings, but these are less commonly used.

2. It’s nice to meet you  / 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 (polite).

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” or simply “it’s nice to see you.”

3. 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.

4. How do you do? 

This greeting is VERY formal, and quite uncommon and old-fashioned now, 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.

Informal Greetings in English

5. Hey  / Hey man  / 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.

6. How’s it going?  / 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?”

7. What’s up?  / What’s new?  / 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.

8. How’s everything?  / How are things?  / How’s life? 

These can be used to casually greet someone and ask how the person is doing, but most often these sentences are 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.

9. How’s your day?  / 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 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.

10. Good to see you  / 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.

11. Long time no see  / 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 by another question, like “how are you,” “how have you been?” or “what’s new?”

Slang Greetings in English

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 in the United States, for example, 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 the U.S. It comes from 1990’s hip-hop slang and these days it’s often used both seriously and jokingly.

This greeting should only be used with very close friends, and never in a business setting.

13. Are you OK?  / You alright?  / 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” before asking “and you?” to the other person. 

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?  / 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.

Below is a conversation of two friends greeting each other.

A: Hi, how are you doing?

B: I’m fine. How about yourself?

A: I’m pretty good. Thanks for asking.

B: No problem. So how have you been?

A: I’ve been great. What about you?

B: I’ve been good. I’m in school right now.

A: What school do you go to?

B: I go to PCC.

A: Do you like it there?

B: It’s okay. It’s a really big campus.

A: Good luck with school.

B: Thank you very much.

Watch this video:

Commonly used expressions

An expression in English is a frequently or commonly used phrase, often something that may not directly make total sense to a foreigner learning English.

Common English Expressions and Daily Use English Sentences

Have you ever felt hopeless getting your message across in communication due to the lack of English expressions? Have you ever been misunderstood because of using wrong English phrases to express your ideas? Have you ever felt bored with using the same expression a thousand times in different contexts?

I bet you say yes.

Yeah. Here is the solution for all of your problems.

If you want to improve your English speaking in a short time, it’s really important to learn common phrases, expressions, and daily use sentences that native English speakers often use. If you master these everyday English phrases, you will be able to communicate flexibly in your daily life.

Greeting words and expressions to say Hello

General greetings (Formal)

Hello
Good morning/ Good afternoon/ Good evening
How are you?
How are you doing?
Nice to meet you
It’s nice to meet you
I’m pleased to meet you.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
I’m glad to see you.
How do you do?

General greetings (Informal)

Hi
Hey
What’s up?
How’s it going?
How have you been?
What’s new?
What’s going on?
How are things?
How’s your day?
How’s your day going?
Good to see you.

Greeting someone you haven’t seen for a long time.

Long time no see.
It’s been a while.
It’s been a long time.
It’s been such a long time.
It’s been too long.
I’m so happy to see you again.
Wow, it’s so good to see you again!
What have you been up to?

Useful responses when greeting people

I’m doing very well, thank you. And you?
I’m fine, thank you.
Great, thanks. How are you?
Not bad. You?
Couldn’t be better? How about you?
Wonderful, thank you.

How to say goodbye in English

How do you say goodbye? Do you know that there are many different ways to say goodbye in English? Discover some common Goodbye phrases and expressions as below.

Different ways to say goodbye in English.

Goodbye
Bye
Bye for now!
See you!
See you soon!
See you later!
Talk to you later!
Catch up with you later.
I hope to see you soon.
See you next time.
I’m looking forward to seeing you soon.
It was nice meeting you.
It’s been really nice knowing you.
It has been a pleasure, we’ll speak soon.
It was really great to see you, catch you later.
All the best, bye.
Take care!
Stay in touch.
I’m really going to miss you.
I’ve got to go now.

How to say sorry in English

There are many different ways to say sorry in English. Discover some of the most common phrases and expressions to express your apologies as below.

Apologies Expressions

I’m sorry…
I’m so sorry…
I’m very sorry…
I’m terribly sorry…
Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.
Sorry about that.
Can you forgive me?
I apologize for…
Please forgive me.
I owe you an apology.
You can blame me for this.
How should I apologize to you?
I beg your pardon.
Sorry, it’s my fault.
Sorry for keeping you waiting.
Sorry, I’m late!

To accept an apology, you can use these sentences and expressions:

That’s all right!
Don’t worry about it.
Forget it!
No problem.
Never mind. It doesn’t really matter.
No big thing.
It’s not your fault.
Please don’t blame yourself.
Think nothing of it.

Self-Introduction – Different ways to introduce “myself” (and others) in English

There are many different ways to introduce yourself and other people in English. Here are some common phrases and expressions often used:

Introducing yourself

Hello. My name is …
Hi. I’m …
Nice to meet you. I’m …
Pleased to meet you. I’m …
It’s a pleasure to see you. I’m…
May I introduce myself? I’m…
How do you do? My name is…
Let me introduce myself. I’m …
I’d like to introduce myself. I’m …

Introducing others:

John, I’d like to introduce you to Mary.
John, please meet Mary.
John, I’d like you to meet Mary.
John, have you met Mary?
John, let me introduce you to Mary.
John, this is Mary. Mary, this is John.

Useful responses when introducing yourself or other people:

Nice to meet you.
I’m pleased to meet you.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.
Glad to meet you.
How do you do?

Thank You Phrases and Expressions in English

Do you know how to say “thank you” in English? Besides some simple expressions such as “Thank you” or “Thanks”, there are many different ways to say thank you in English as well.

Below are some useful thank you phrases to show your gratitude and appreciation to someone for something they have done for you.

Express thanks and gratitude:

Thank you.
Thanks.
Thank you very much.
Thanks a lot!
Many thanks.
Sincerely thanks.
Thank you so much!
Thanks a million for your help.
I really appreciate your help.
You are so kind.
I don’t know how to express my thanks.
There are no words to show my appreciation!
What you’ve done means a lot to me.
That’s so kind of you.
You’ve made my day.
I owe you a great deal
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.
How can I ever possibly thank you?

Useful Responses:

You’re welcome!
It was my pleasure.
My pleasure.
Don’t mention it.
Forget it.
No big deal.
It’s was nothing.
Think nothing of it. I’m glad that I can help you.

Sample Dialogue:

Izza:            Hi, Nick. Do you need help?

Nick:          Hi, Izza. Yes, I think I really need your help.

Izza:            What are you doing? Are you going to move?

Nick:           No, I’m just cleaning my room. As you can see, it’s so messy.

Izza:           I think you’re right. Let me help you.

Nick:           You’re such an angel! I really appreciate your kindness, Izza.

Izza:            You’re welcome.

Nick:           Do you like doing the house chores?

Izza:           Yes, I do. I was trained by mother when I was still young to do the house chores in our house.

Nick:          Wow! Good for you. Me, I’m not used with these since my mother does all the cleaning by herself when I was young. But I’m a good cook. That’s my job, you know.

Izza:           Really? That’s great!

After an hour…

Nick:          Whew! That was tiring. Thank you again, Izza.

Izza:           No problem, Nick. I live just beside your apartment so let me know when you need help again.

Nick:           Really? Thank you very much! Thank you for all your help.

Izza:            You’re very welcome, Nick. Anytime.

Nick:          Hmm… Is it ok if you stay here longer? I would like to cook something for you.

Izza:            Oh, I would love to!

Nick:          Great! Give me time and I’ll make a special meal for you.

Izza:           You’re so nice. Now, I don’t have to go to your restaurant to taste your cooking. Thank you, Nick.

Nick:          No, I should thank you. Thank you for your time, Izza.

Izza:          That’s nothing.

References:
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/english-greetings-expressions/
https://www.eslfast.com/robot/topics/smalltalk/smalltalk01.htm
https://basicenglishspeaking.com/common-expressions-english/
https://internet-english-academy.com/text/daily_english_9_expressing_thanks_de.pdf