English Greetings and Introductions: Say Hello Like a Native

Greetings are the first English most people need, and they are full of small surprises. "How are you?" is usually not a real question, and "Good night" is not a greeting at all. Here is what people really say.

Saying hello

• Hello and Hi work at any time. "Hi" is more relaxed.
• Good morning (until about noon), good afternoon and good evening are a little more formal.
• Good night is only for saying goodbye late in the evening or before bed, never for arriving.

"How are you?"

This is a greeting, not a request for a long answer. The normal reply is short and positive: "Fine, thanks. And you?" or "Good, thank you." Always ask the question back. If you really are not well, you can say so with a friend, but a stranger just expects a polite answer.

Introducing yourself

• "I'm Ana." or "My name is Ana."
• "Nice to meet you." The reply is "Nice to meet you too." In a formal situation you can say "Pleased to meet you."
• "Where are you from?" — "I'm from Spain." (not "I am of Spain")
• "What do you do?" — "I'm a nurse." or "I work in a bank."

Formal or informal?

With friends, "Hi, how's it going?" is perfect. With a teacher, a manager or someone you have just met in a formal setting, "Good morning, how do you do?" or "Good morning, how are you?" is safer. English has no separate "you" for formal speech, so politeness comes from the words around it: please, thank you, could, would.

Saying goodbye

"Bye", "See you later" and "See you tomorrow" are friendly. "Goodbye" is a little more formal, and "Take care" is warm. Say "Have a nice day" to a shop assistant or a colleague.

How to practise

• Learn the key phrases with pictures in the greetings flashcards.
• Hear a line and choose the natural reply in the Dialogue game.
• Practise a whole conversation in At the Café, then say the lines aloud.

Your first lesson is greetings. Start the greetings lesson →