33 Greetings in English Beyond “How Are You?

” and
“Hello”
fluentu.com/blog/english/english-greetings-expressions/

Jessica, Alan January 12, 2023

You probably already know “hello” and “how are you?” in English.

However, English speakers also use many other English greetings and expressions to say
slightly different things.

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.

Contents

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 or Good evening

These are formal ways of saying “hello”, which change depending on the time of day.

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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 or 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 or 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.

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6. Greeting a stranger
But what about introducing yourself to a stranger?

Speaking with strangers is often a dreaded (feared) task for many speaking in a second
language, and for English learners it is no different. We have particular titles used for
greeting strangers in English and usually, it is more formal speech.

For a full breakdown of how to politely greet strangers in English, you can just watch them
doing it. But not in a creepy way—don’t go hide in the bushes and watch people interact.

Instead, use a learning program which lets you see authentic (real) videos of the English
language in use naturally.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks
—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the
iOS app or Android app.

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7. How’s it going? or 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?”

8. What’s up? , What’s new? or 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.

9. How’s everything? , How are things? or 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.

10. How’s your day? or 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.

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11. Good to see you or 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.

12. Long time no see or 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.

13. 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.

14. Are you OK? , You alright? or 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.

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15. 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.

16. Sup? or 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.”

17. 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?”

18. 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.

And of course, once you’ve nailed the introductions, there’s another set of phrases you need
to learn.

That’s right, farewells (saying goodbye)! This video will give you a brief introduction to
saying goodbye in English.

I hope you enjoy trying out these new English greetings. You’ll find that greeting people in
different ways will help your English sound more natural, and it might even make English
greetings more fun and interesting for you.

And One More Thing...

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