First impressions are important, so here's a guide to using the right expression.
Greetings
Two friends meeting
Friends often say "Hi" to each other. Then they often ask a general question, such as "How are you?" or "How are things?" or "How's life?"
The reply to this question is normally positive.
"Fine thanks, and you?"
"Fine thanks, what about yourself?"
"Not bad." Or "Can't complain."
Greeting people you don't know
You can use "Hello" with people you don't know, but a more formal greeting is "Good morning / afternoon / evening."
The other person normally replies with the same greeting as you have used and then makes polite conversation, such as "How was your trip?" or "Did you find our office easily?"
Introducing yourself
At an informal party
"Hello, I'm Maria." Or "Hello, my name's Maria."
The reply could be:
"Hi, I'm Sarah." Or "Hello Maria, I'm Sarah." Or "Nice to meet you, I'm Sarah."
At work-related events
"I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Maria, from english@home."
Or, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Maria from english@home."
The reply could be:
"Nice to meet you. I'm Peter Mitchell, from Mitchell Creations."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Peter Mitchell, from Mitchell Creations."
"How do you do? I'm Peter Mitchell from Mitchell Creations."
Introducing other people
Introducing a friend to a work colleague
"Sarah, have you met my colleague John?"
"Sarah, I'd like you to meet my colleague John."
Sarah says:
"Pleased to meet you, John." Or "Nice to meet you, John."
John could say:
"Nice to meet you too, Sarah." Or "Hello, Sarah."
Introducing clients
"Mr Mitchell, I'd like to introduce you to my manager, Henry Lewis."
Mr Mitchell could then say:
"How do you do?" and Henry Lewis also says "How do you do?"
Or Mr Mitchell could say:
"Pleased to meet you." Or "Good to meet you."
Speaking Tip
"How do you do?" is quite formal for British English speakers and the reply to this question is to repeat the phrase, "How do you do?" (as strange as that may sound!)
At a more informal party
When you introduce two of your friends to each other, you can simply say, "John, this is Sarah."
Cultural considerations
At work, one person may have higher status - your boss, or a client, for example. It's polite to address them as Mr / Ms until the situation becomes more informal.
If someone says, "Please call me (Henry)", you know you can use first names. If someone uses your first name, you can use their first name too.
People in European and English-speaking cultures often shake hands when they meet someone for the first time.
* Don't forget to smile! :-)
31 comments on “English greetings”
what is the reply that we ought to give when somebody says "nice meeting you"..plz help me
You can say "Nice meeting you too" or "Pleased to meet you too".
its very nice to read this .actually i always confused what to say when i met somebody . now i knew . i have two questions. 1 what is different between hi and hello ?
2 what can i say when i meet somebody
regular?
"Hi" is more informal than "Hello".
When you are introduced to someone, you can say "Pleased to meet you".
Intercultural English context should be used as sample sentences, not just American or Birtish English. Many of other lanagauges speakers are reading your helpful page. Could you please help us on this?
it's really good for all those who want to better their conversation skill
what can i say when someone ask to me- how do u do?
The reply to "How do you do?" is "How do you do!"
what can i say if somebody ask glad to meet you
You can say "Pleased to meet you too".
how do you find dubai? or how do you feel about dubai? which sentence is correct.
"How do you find Dubai?" is a general question, asking about your impressions of Dubai. It's something you'd hear when two people first meet.
"How do you feel about Dubai?" is a more personal question, asking about your feelings, rather than an impression.
if somebody ask -how is your married life? then can i say-its good. what should be a positive answer for this question.
thanks
It's a very personal question to ask unless you know the person well! A positive answer would be "Fine thanks".
What is the meaning of "How do you do?" and why do we say the same to somebody who has said "How do you do?".
Please clarify it in detail.
"How do you do" means "Pleased to meet you" and the standard reply to it is "How do you do". As I mentioned in the page, it is formal English.
Just one questions:
Do Americans or British people shake hands if they meet or is that only a European continent custom?
Thx anyways…
Yes, we shake hands when we meet!
when i see my superior he always he used to ask me How are you?. i am replying Fine. Thank you. is it correct.if so can i ask him how are you?.
Yes, what you say is correct. You can also say this:
Boss: How are you?
You: Fine thanks. How are you?
Americans and British people shake hands when meeting for the first time or when departing.
thanx very much to english at home
tell me wat should i say if someone ask me how s your exams r going on how were your exams
If someone asks you "How are you exams going?" you can reply "Fine" or "They're a bit difficult" - depending on how the exams are!
what are the timings for greeting for good morning/good evening/after noon and good night?
We say "good morning" at any time in the morning from when we wake up until about lunchtime. We'd say "good afternoon" at any time in the afternoon after lunch, until about 6pm. After that we'd use "good evening". We use "good night" when we are saying good bye to a person who we won't see again until the morning. So you either use it to someone before you go to bed, or you say it to someone you are leaving in the evening.
if someone said good night how do I respond.
You can say "Good night" to respond. When we say good night to our children, we also say "Sleep tight", which means "sleep well".
For what questions we should reply "Its my Pleasure"?
"Thank you very much!"
"It's my pleasure."
if i want to introduce my boss to other client or the client to my boss how should i start and what should i talking about?
You could say:
I'd like you to meet (name of your boss).
I'd like to introduce you to (name of your boss).
i have heard someone says "Have a good night" "have a good morning" Is it correct?
Yes, it is, if you are referring to the rest of the evening or the morning.
Hi! Please, help me! An Irish guest will come to our school! How can I great him? What should I say in this situation? How can I ask about his way to our country?
Apart from saying hello and welcoming him ("Welcome to our school") you can also ask him about his journey:
"Did you have a long journey?"
what does 'what's up' mean? and what to reply when someone asks this.
It means "How are you?" or "What's new?" People might also say it if they see that you are upset, and they are asking you what the matter is.
Is it correct to greet my boss using "hi" since it's the easiest way to do it?
It all depends on your relationship with your boss. If you are on friendly terms, then "Hi" is fine. If you don't know him or her very well, it would be better to say "Hello".
should we ask "how do u do?"only to strangers?
You only use it in formal situations when you are introduced to someone you don't know.
How to greet natives we meet? I want to practice with them but I'm afraid I take a wrong way, because of the different cultures. I'm Indonesian, we like to be friendly with everyone even with foreigners we meet for the first time.
You can just say something neutral like "Hello" or "Pleased to meet you" or My name's XX. Pleased to meet you".
what to reply when someone asks 'what's up' ?
Hey, how are you? / How's it going?
Hi,two question 1.When we want to drive to the client and want to phone them up a day before to ask them whether we need any arrangement for carpark or not,what are the good phrases that we can use on the phone?
2.When we are visiting client what can we say at the reception for asking the person who should see?Is that right if we say "I'm visiting John" or "is john here"?
1. Where can we park? / Are there any car parks near your office?
2. I have an appointment with John. My name is ….. and I'm from …. (name of company)
You often hear someone say "Why, hello!" It seems a cry of surprise. Isn't it weird to say "Why"?
Well, it sounds a bit old-fashioned, as the person is surprised to see the other person there. You're right: the "why" is a cry of surprise.
We should say how you doing? or how're you doing?
You'll often hear "how you doing?", but it should be "how are you doing?" (The "how are you" becomes abbreviated to "how'ya").
When somebody asks me "how are you doing"?
what should i reply that person?
You can say "Fine, thanks" or "Great!"
Thanks for your support. Your courses have been of a great support for me in both office and home. My question is to know if "howdy " is the same as "how do you do" ?
"Howdy" is American English, and not really used in British English. "How do you do?" is formal British English. The two phrases both mean "hello" but they are used in different situations.
Hi I would like to help the person who asked a reply for the sentence "nice meeting you". Well, you could say "the pleasure is mine". It 's a simple and polite way.
What we can say at 12:30
Good noon or good after noon
"Good afternoon" (or if it's still before lunch, "Good morning".)