There are many ways to say hello in English. While running, say “hello” to an acquaintance, strike up a conversation at a party, meet an old friend after a long separation, introduce yourself to a business partner. Each situation has its own nuances, and below we will look at them in more detail.

Universal greetings

Hello!	Hello! / Hello!
Good morning!	Good morning!
Good afternoon!	Good afternoon
Goog evening!	Good evening!

These are phrases that can be used both in relation to acquaintances and those you see for the first time.

Note that "Good day" in Britain is more often used as a farewell (quite formal) and is translated as "All the best." "Good night" means "Good night" and is also used when saying goodbye.

Greetings on the go

Saying hello to someone you know is a simple act of politeness. However, there is not always time to stop and talk. If you're in a hurry, you don't have to stop what you're doing, but don't forget to smile when you say hello. You can wave your hand at the same time. Sometimes you meet one person several times in a day. In this case, you can say hello again or just smile.

Friendly greetings

If you know the person well, you can tell him:

Hi!	Hello!
Hey...!	Hello,<имя>!
How's it going?	How are you doing?

Teenagers and young people, as well as just close friends, often use slang among themselves.

• Howdy!
• Hiya!
• What's up?
• G"day (Australia)!

Greetings after a long separation

The British value personal space and do not like public displays of affection. However, close friends may well hug when they meet, especially if they haven’t seen each other for a long time. Men sometimes shake hands. In this case we can say:

Business greetings

It is important to observe etiquette at business meetings. Smile and remember to use polite words such as "please" and "thank you." Use appropriate addresses: for men - Mister; for women, Ms is increasingly used (read: ), regardless of marital status. (Mrs and Miss are still used if the woman introduced herself to you as such.)

The handshake is common in most English-speaking countries. When you meet, introduce yourself full name and name the position, for example: Hello, I"m William Jones, sales manager.

To continue the conversation, you can use the following phrases:

Party Cheers

At a reception or party, it is considered polite to say hello to many people. After you've said hello to your hosts and friends, introduce yourself to those you don't know. Introduce yourself and strike up a conversation. Mention how you know the owners. Discuss something related to the party (food, music, decoration). The following questions are useful to keep the conversation going:

Greetings when visiting

If you are visiting a friend, say hello to other people in the house. Introduce yourself to people you don't know. Use the following phrases:

Now that you are familiar with the basic greeting phrases on English, time to listen to them performed by true English ladies and gentlemen.

The simplest and shortest form of greeting, both in Russian and in English, is the word “hello”. “Hello” in English is “Hi”. It is most often used in conversation, especially with those people whom you already know or see more than once. A similar translation is also English greeting“Hello” [hello] - “Hello”, “Hello”. What is their difference?

“Hi” is more suitable for informal communication, and the second option, “Hello” is considered more formal. Therefore, it is recommended to greet complete strangers using the second method. But in practice, most likely, you will encounter the following: strangers greet each other and you with “Hi”, complemented by a sincere and friendly smile. And that's completely normal.

How else can you say “hello” in English: “Hey” [hey] is a colloquial, informal option. Young people often say hello this way. Therefore, it is NOT recommended to use this word to greet an elderly person or a complete stranger to you.

What can I add?

Sometimes “there” [zea] is added to the above words, and then the greetings look like this: “Hi there!”, “Hello there!”, “Hey there!”. The essence of the greeting does not change from this addition, the translation into Russian remains the same, because the word “there” does not carry any additional meaning in this case.

How to say hello in English, besides the usual “hello”? You can add to this the question “how are you?” And then the greeting will sound like this: “Hi, how are you?” [hai, how a yu] - “Hello, how are you?” For informal communication, the following option is suitable: “What’s up?” [whatsapp] - “How are you?”

If you are glad to see your interlocutor, you can not hide it and add the phrase “I’m glad to see you!” [aim glad tu si yu] - “I’m glad to see you!” It is worth noting that in English the address “you” is applicable to a person of any age. There is no division, as in Russian, into “you” and “you”. Those. if you respect a person or he is a stranger to you, and in your native language you would say: “I’m glad to see you!”, then in English it will still be “I’m glad to see you.”

Also, if you would like to say the usual “Hello” to English person older than you, then “Hello” and “Hi” are also applicable in this case.

How to say hello to a group of people

How to say “Hello everyone!” in English if you are addressing several people at once? Both options below will work:
Hello, everyone! [hello, evryuan!]
Hello, everybody! [hello, eurybadi!]

You can also use one more phrase, it is usually used more often in writing (in chats, groups) than in spoken language:
Hi, everyone! [hi, ol!]

Other popular and accepted greeting phrases

A formal greeting in a letter in English will be different from a spoken one. If you need to write a request to technical support, for example, or ask a question to a consultant of an online store, then it is better to start it like this: “Dear Sir” (when addressing a man, “dear sir”) or “Dear Madam” (when addressing a woman, "Dear Madam") If you are writing a request to the support service, and do not know what gender you are contacting, you can write this: “Dear Support Team” (which means “dear support service”). Or you can write after “Dear” the name of the organization to which you are sending your letter.

Don't forget about greetings that depend on the time of day. Translated from Russian, “Good morning” in English will look like this: “Good morning” [good monin]. “Good afternoon” - “Good afternoon” [good aftenun]. “Good evening” - “Good evening” [good evening].

If you have just been introduced to a person and you are sincerely glad to meet him, then you can add: “Nice to meet you” [nice to meet you] - “” / “Nice to meet you.”

Hello in English - the most important topic for beginners to learn the language. There are many different opportunities to greet friends, work colleagues, bosses, and guests. As in all areas of life, this can be done informally or formally.

Let's go from simple to complex and learn not only to say hello in English, but also to meet and introduce strangers. Let's find out which greeting expressions are modern and which are gradually falling out of use (read about this in the dialogue between Steve and Kate at the end of the article).

Of course, it is possible to say hello in English in several ways. in different ways. For example, when you enter a classroom or office, you want to say, “Hello everyone!” Here you can already use several equivalent phrases:

Hello!
Hello everyone!
Hello everyone!
All the greatings!

Listen and read some dialogues from native speakers that will help you learn how to choose the right greetings in different settings, pronounce them correctly and know how to write them.

Hello in English when meeting people

Good morning
Good evening
Good night
Goodbye
Hello. How are you?
I'm fine, thanks. What about you?
I'm very good, thank you.
What is your name?
My name is John. What's your name?
My name is Maria.

Hello. How are you doing?
Wonderful. What about you?
Everything is fine, thank you.
How was your weekend?
Oh, just great, thank you.

Hello. My name is Peter.
Sorry. Please repeat this slowly. Hello. My name is Peter.
A. My name is Anne.
I'm glad to meet you.
Do you speak English?
Yes, I speak English, but just a little.
You speak English well. Thank you.

Where are you going?
I'm going home. Where are you going?
I'm going to the store.
How far is the store?
It's not far. I'm going to buy milk.
Please buy me some milk too.
We don't have milk at home.

Please give me my coat.
Where's your coat?
It's on a chair next to the table.
Is this your coat?
Yes, this is my coat
green next to blue.
Nice coat.
I have a blue coat.
It looks good with my blue hat

Dialogue on the topic “Bye and hello in English”

(for intermediate level)

Steve: Good afternoon, Kate
Kate: Good afternoon, Steve
Steve: You know, I said, “Good afternoon.” There are so many ways to say "Hello" to people. Nowadays some people say: “How’s it going?” or “How are you doing?” And it can be a little difficult for some newbies to know which greeting is most appropriate in different situations. Let me ask you, Kate, when you meet a friend, what do you usually say?
Kate: Well, as you say, there are many options. Of course, with a friend I would be more informal, more spontaneous and perhaps say, “How’s it going?”
Steve:"How's it going?"
Kate:“What’s up?”, something like that.
Steve: Right. "What's up?" - perhaps less useful, but “How is it going?” used quite often.
Kate: Yes, I think so.
Steve:"How's it going?"
Kate: But, of course, in a friendly situation.

Steve: Right.
Kate: in everyday life.
Steve: in everyday life. Yes. Otherwise, "Hello" is always safe.
Kate: And “How are you?” (“How are you?”)
Steve: And “How are you?” always safe
Kate: Absolutely.
Steve: When you meet someone for the first time, people used to say, “How are you?” (“How do you do?”)
Kate: Yes.

Steve: This is not as common today.
Kate: I would probably now use “Nice to meet you”.
Steve:“Nice to meet you”, “It’s a pleasure to meet you”
Kate: Yes
Steve: Moreover, you are right, “Nice to meet you” is a very easy, standard greeting if you are meeting someone for the first time.
Kate: Yes.

Steve:"Nice to meet you"
Kate: Yes. When someone says, “Kate, this is so-and-so.” I say: “Oh, hello, nice to meet you.”
Steve: Right. And while the formal "How do you do" is correct, it really isn't used much anymore. I use it because I'm old.
Kate: I would say you might want to use it more often because you're often in formal business situations.
Steve: Fine.
Kate: If I were wearing a suit and tie, I might be more inclined to say, “How do you do?”

Steve: Right. Now one more thing if you want to make a good impression and not just say "Nice to meet you". It is always better to say: “Very pleased to meet you.” In my opinion, this better expresses the feeling of welcome.
Kate: Of course, this is a very hospitable phrase: “I’m very pleased to meet you.”
Steve: If you want to increase it further, you can say: “I have heard a lot about you.”
Kate: Certainly. This is another phrase. But this can mean both good and bad!

Steve: Yeah, maybe we should leave him alone!
Kate: I think we need to have some stories to back it up.
Steve: Right. That's right.
Kate: Or maybe “I’ve heard so much about you.”
Steve: Or, if you want to flatter the person, "I've heard good things about you." But you know, Kate, I think we're overcomplicating things.
Kate: I agree. When introducing yourself to someone, a simple “Nice to meet you” is always appropriate.
Steve: Right. And if you see people you know, again, “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” “Good evening” is always appropriate.
Kate: Absolutely.

Steve: Now when you leave someone, it's not so hard. “Goodbye” is pretty easy.
Kate: Yes
Steve: But it would be good to say “See you”, “See you soon”, “See you tomorrow”. Oh, and “Have a nice evening” if you are leaving, say, the office.
Kate: Absolutely. I think we all say “Have a good night”, “Have a good evening”. Something like that.
Steve: “Have a good weekend”
Kate: Absolutely.

Steve:"Enjoy your weekend"
Kate: That's right. I think a straight "Goodbye" is perhaps a little short, and that...
Steve: yes
Kate: and it may seem like this is goodbye.
Steve: Yes. Right.
Kate: While “See you tomorrow”, “Have a good night”, something like that...
Steve: Yes.
Kate: or, in the case of meeting someone for the first time, “It was very nice to meet you”

Steve: Yes, that's good. “It was very nice to meet you” “I enjoyed meeting you.”
Kate: That's right.
Steve: Yes
Kate: Yes. “It was nice to meet you”
Steve: Fine. You know, I think it's time for us to stop. It was great talking to you, Kate.
Kate: Thanks Steve. I was also very pleased.
Steve: Fine.
Kate:“See you later” (see you later)
Steve:“See you later” (see you later). Bye.
Kate: Bye.
Text of the dialogue in English (click to enlarge the image)


source: www.lingq.com

Sometimes I really want to ask some English teachers: “How long will we traumatize the psyche of foreigners by teaching in our schools the phrase “How do you do?” instead of greeting in natural English, and even demand a similar answer from an English-speaking person? After all, this is equivalent to when an Englishman comes up to us on the street and diligently greets us in Russian: “Bread and salt!” And you, accordingly, will have to answer “salt-bread”.

In general, away with outdated greetings and farewells. We will learn only phrases that are relevant today. We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the answer options to the question “how are you?” in English. It’s hard to imagine a dialogue consisting only of “hello-bye”; you can’t do without a short (or not so short) story about your affairs.

GREETINGS IN ENGLISH

It is advisable to accompany all these greeting phrases in English with a Hollywood smile - as is customary “with them”, even if you don’t want to sparkle with snow-white teeth right now.

Standard
Hello- hello (generally a universal option). And one might not even bother further, but the position of someone in love with English obliges us to know more.

Hi- hello (the word is no less popular than the previous one).

Good morning/afternoon/evening- good morning/afternoon/evening. More interesting option and is quite universal, if you only take into account some nuances: morning is before noon, afternoon is until 6 pm, evening is conditionally until midnight, but if you have to say hello at a party, then no one will be offended by such a greeting even at 2 am.

More "colloquial" phrases
Hi there!- hey, hello there (in general, a rather slang option. You can risk your life and address a certain company that has decided to gather under your window with songs and strong drinks).

Hello there!- hey, are you there - hello! (a slightly more refined expression, if I may say so. But in general the meaning is almost the same as in the previous address).

Hey, how are you doing?- Hi, how are you? (a favorite expression on VKontakte - it irritates many, but my English-speaking friends really like it, because it sounds less formal than the usual hi and even makes it possible to show your interest)

What's up?- what's new/how are you (an option that is more acceptable when surrounded by close people/friends - it is not very recommended to greet strangers this way)

How's it going?- how are you/how is life (another version, also for people who are fairly familiar with each other)

Wow, it's good to see you!- oh, great, glad to see you! (instead of good you can substitute almost anything to express your emotions - it will turn out unobtrusive and interesting)

Howdyfriend - how are you, friend? (purely American feature)

HeydudeWhat'sup? - Hey dude, how are you?

HeyBro,What'sup? - Hello brother, how are you doing?

Hey man! How's your hummer hanging? - Translation for “18 and older” only. In general, this is a good slang for the men who are closest to us.

No one can stop you from coming up with your own variants of greetings with friends: nicknames, jokes, and words that only you understand can be used. For those who are not a fan of reinventing the wheel, we suggest you study a selection of common informal greetings in English.

For lovers of ornate expressions

Hi there, hey how are you doing? Hey, you, hi, how are you in general?
Hello,howhaveyoubeen? Hello, how have you been?
It"s good to see you, how"s life has been treating you? Glad to see you, how is life young?

For first timers
Or more precisely, how to greet a person with whom you have just been accidentally introduced.

Good to meet you / It"s nice to meet you Nice to meet you
I'm pleased to meet you / It's a pleasure to meet you Nice to meet you

Surprise
You were walking down the street, and suddenly - bam! - unexpectedly we met a man whom we had not seen or heard for a hundred years and generally did not think that we would ever see again.

Oh my God, it's you! Oh God, it's you!
Aahh,wherehaveyoubeen? Ahh, where have you been (you can add your own curse word)
Mygoodness,longtimenospeak (see) Oh gods, haven't seen each other for so long!
Wow, it's so good to see you again Wow, great to see you again...
Is it really you? When did we last meet? Wow, as I live and breathe, it's my best friend from school Is this really you? When was the last time we met? Wow, I've been living and breathing for as long as I've lived, you've been my best friend since high school!

You have no time
Well, anything can happen. We said hello and ran on. And then they got away with it nicely.

Hi, sorry I can't stop. Hello, sorry, I can't stop

Oh hi there, look I"m a bit pushed for time, here"s my phone number give me a call sometime
Oh, hello there. Listen, I'm a little late already, here's my phone number, call me sometime

Hello there, look I"m on my way to work maybe catch up with you again soon. Oh, hello to you. Listen, I'm running to work. Maybe we'll meet again soon.

Hey I would love to stop and chat but I really have to dash. Hey, I'd love to stop and chat, but I really have to run.

For travelers to Foggy Albion
Everyone knows how much the British love to talk about the weather. This will also pass for a very polite greeting.

Hello, isn't it a lovely day? Hello, great day, isn't it?
Hello, what about this terrible weather? Hello, how do you like today's terrible weather?
Hello, did you hear the storm last night? Hello, did you hear the thunderstorm yesterday evening?

For those who like to chat
If you are already at least vaguely familiar with the person, then you can keep the conversation going by slightly enriching the greeting with a question:

Hello, how's the family? Hello, how is your family doing?
Hello, how's your wife doing? Hello, how is life?
Hello, how are the kids? Hello, how are the kids?
What's new?- What's new? (although this phrase, according to by and large, often pronounced more out of politeness than out of a desire to find out what’s really new with you)

GOODBYES IN ENGLISH

You can, of course, leave in English. Or you can leave like a human being. Moreover, as Stirlitz said, only the last words will be remembered.

By the way, the expression “to leave in English” is as far-fetched as “roller coaster”. Most people probably know that all over the world this attraction is called a “Russian roller coaster,” and only we stubbornly repeat: “No, it’s an American roller coaster.”

Initially, leaving without saying goodbye was only possible in French. And this concerned the French captured soldiers, who, at their own discretion, simply took and left the unit’s location. The British, being great lovers of jokes, laughed at such impudence and said: “They left in French.” This happened back in the 18th century during the Seven Years' War. The French turned out to be touchy and did not find anything better than to substitute another word into the tease: “filer à l’anglaise” - that is, to leave in English. It's funny, but exactly last word ate by a cow has taken root in the Russian language.

But in reality, the British, of course, are saying goodbye. And very sophisticated.

Standard

Good-bye- goodbye (where would we be without this expression)
Bye-bye- bye-bye (which is quite logical)
Bye for now- that's it, bye

An ennobled version of goodbye
In order not to be completely banal, you can safely use the times of day (we look at the nuances of the hour in the greetings). By the way, this is a real find for Russian speakers. It is very unusual and pleasant to hear such parting words from employees of different companies with whom you communicate on the phone. In particular, this is the second time I’ve called the company of a well-known Internet provider, and in parting the operators kindly say, “ good evening” or “have a nice day” instead of “goodbye” - completely different feelings from the conversation:

Have a nice day/evening! - Have a nice day/evening
Haveagoodnight!/Goodnight- Good night (and by replacing the word “good” with other versions, you can make a goodbye for adults)

If you want to meet again
Then we use seeyou(see you / see you) naked or in variations:

Seeyousoon. See you soon/see you again
Seeyoulater. See you soon/see you later
Seeyouthen. Come on, see you later
See you in a bit. See you soon
Seeyouaround. See you soon
See you again. See you again
See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow
Seeyoutonight. Until evening
Seeya. See you later (informal version)
Solong. See you again
Later. See you later
Catchyoulater. We'll meet a little later/See you later
I hope to see you soon. Hope we meet soon
Ihopewe'llmeetagain. I hope we meet again
Till you meet again. Until next time
Drop in again some time. Meet me sometime
Hold the fort down, will ya? Hold your tail with a gun! (literally - hold the fort)

Wishes for the journey
For the reverent/attentive/polite.

Takecare!- Take care
Goodluck!- Good luck
Allthebest! - All the best
Haveagoodtrip- Bon voyage
Write to us- Write to us
Call me- Call me
I’m sorry to see you go - It's a shame you're leaving
I’ve enjoyed seeing you - I was glad to see you
Come back soon - Come back soon
Remember me to your wife/brother… Hello wife/brother...
My regards to the family- hello family

Semi-formal/semi-formal
Here we will add everything that does not fit into any framework.

Farewell- Goodbye
Adieu- bye (adyu) - slang word
Ciao - ciao (like ours - borrowed from the Italians)
Cheerio- Be healthy/all the best (a purely British thing)
I must go / I must be going- I have to go
Cheers,mate- bye, friend (a favorite feature of the British)
Toodles- Bye
Ta-ta- bye (usually accepted with girlfriends)
I'd better be going- I guess it's time
Let'ssleeponit- morning is wiser than evening (and if the exact translation is “you need to sleep with this” - i.e. think about it)
See ya later! Alligator/ In a while crocodile - there is no Russian equivalent for these rhymes. You can think of it as something like “bye, old man.”
Nightie-night Calm down
Good Night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite - Good night, sleep soundly and don’t let the bugs eat you.
See Ya!! wouldn't wanna be ya! - I wouldn't like to see you again (kind of joking)

The end result should be a fairly comprehensive list. But if there is something else as an example, let's not be greedy and share.

especially for