Formal/Informal & Slang, in Emails, by Country, & More
Why do so many people want to learn English? The answer is simple. It’s one of the top languages spoken around the world, especially used in business, tourism, and academia. If you speak English, you can travel around the world, find a better job, and make new international friends. Learning any language can be difficult, especially in the beginning as you try to understand its unique grammar, slang, and various rules. We will help you along the way by sharing useful tips and tricks. This week we’re going to introduce you to all the different ways you can greet people in English. While these are basic greetings for beginners, they will go a long way in making you feel more comfortable when interacting with others.
English Greetings and Salutations in a Business Environment
Whether you are meeting a client, attending a job fair, communicating with your superior at work or someone older than you, networking at an industry event, or interviewing for a job, you can’t go wrong with the greetings below.
Formal Greetings in English Email
If you are meeting someone in-person, you can comfortably use the following ways to greet them:
- Good morning
- Good afternoon
- Good evening
- Hello
- Good morning! How are you?
- Hello. How are you this morning?
You can address the person by name by adding Mr. or Ms. to their last name or, if you are comfortable enough, you can use their first name. For example:
- Good afternoon, Jennifer
- Hello, Mr. Smith
- Hello, Ms. Thompson. How are you this morning?
You can use Good morning when greeting someone between approximately 4 AM and noon. Good afternoon is a more appropriate way to salute a person between noon and 4-5 PM. After 5 PM, you can use Good evening. Take note that Good night is not used to greet someone, but rather to say Goodbye. If you are communicating via email, you can use the following openings:
- Dear Mr. Hanson,
- Dear Michelle,
- Hello Ms. Davidson,
Once you’ve greeted someone, you should be able to follow up or respond to their greeting appropriately. Here is how you can do it:
- Hello, Ms. Connolly. I’m well, thank you. How are you?
- Good evening, John. It’s a pleasure to meet you!
- It’s nice to meet you. I’m doing well. What/how about you?
- Pleased to meet you, Anna. How are you this morning?
- I’m well. Thank you for asking. What/how about you?
If you are meeting someone you’ve met in the past, you can use the following phrase:
- How have you been?
When someone inquires as to how you have been, you can respond in the following ways:
- I’ve been well, thank you.
- I’ve just returned from a conference and am now trying to catch up on work.
- I’ve had a relaxing vacation. Thank you for asking. How have you been?
Informal Greetings in English Email
Not all business talk is formal all the time. Perhaps you are meeting a client you’ve known and worked with for years. Or, you are talking to your CEO who is very casual in his/her communication. In this case – when you feel comfortable with the other person AND know that this person feels comfortable around you – you can greet them in one of the following ways:
- Hey Susan,
- Hi Mike. How was your weekend?
- Morning, Stan
- Hello Bethany. How are you doing?
You can also use a more informal way of greeting someone via email. Once again, you should make sure that both you and the other person are comfortable enough to use a more relaxed language.
- Hi Gabriel,
- Hi Monica,
- Hope you are well.
- Hey Steven,
- How have you been?
- Hello Jessica,
- How are you?
Casual Greetings & Salutations In English
Say you are meeting a new group of people at a friend’s birthday party or are greeting your colleagues who you know well. There are many ways to greet others in a more informal, yet respectful way.
- Hi Sophie,
- Hey Mark,
- Hi everyone! It’s a pleasure to meet you!
- Hey Andrew. How is it going?
- Great to meet you!
- Hi Julia. It’s nice to meet you. How are you?
If you already know this person and are not meeting him/her for the first time, feel free to use one of the following phrases:
- Great to see you!
- Hi, Lucie. It’s nice to see you. How have you been?
- Hey, Xander. Good to see you.
- Morning, Ashley. Great to see you again!
- Hey, David. It’s been a while. How have you been?
- Hi, Jason. What’s been going on? I haven’t seen you in a while.
- Hi, Daniella. It’s really great to see you again. How are you?
- Karen, hi! It’s been ages! How have you been?
Here are a few follow-ups you can say in a more casual environment:
- Hey Luke. I’m good. What/how about you?
- Hi Shannon. I’m good, thanks! And you?
- I’m great! And you?
- Hi Patrick. Indeed, it’s been a long time. I’m good, thanks. How about you?
- Hey Allison. Yes, it’s been a while. What’s been happening?
If you are writing an email to a friend or a colleague who you know well, you can use the following friendly greetings:
- Hey Bob,
- How are you?
- Hi Hannah,
- How is it going?
English Greetings and Salutations in a Bar/Restaurant/Supermarket, etc.
Whether you are getting coffee at a café, buying groceries at a supermarket, or getting gas at a gas station, you need to address and greet people appropriately. This is a mix of formal and informal greetings. Here are a few examples of how you can sound casual, but still respectful:
- Hi Steve,
- Morning! How are you?
- Hello. How are you doing?
- Hi Jack. Could I please get a cappuccino?
- Hi there. How are you this morning?
- Hello. How are you? Yes, I’m ready to order.
To carry the conversation forward and answer questions or offer follow-ups, you can use one of the following phrases:
- I’m well, thanks. And you?
- Thank you, Margie. I hope you’re having a great morning.
- I’m good. What about you?
- All good, thank you. How about you?
English Greetings and Salutations for Hosts
If you are organizing an event – be it a business conference or a celebration at your house – you need to greet your guests efficiently and politely. Depending on the situation, you should greet your guests in a formal or more casual way.
- Formal greetings
Here are some greetings and salutations you can use when hosting a business meeting or conference:
- Hi. Welcome!
- Good morning! Welcome!
- Hello. Thank you for coming!
- Good afternoon, Ms. Brice. Welcome!
- Hello, Olivia. It’s great that you could make it to our event.
Informal Greetings
Say you are organizing a birthday party for your family member and are greeting people as they enter your house. Feel free to use one of the following phrases:
- Hey, Oliver. Glad you could make it. Come in!
- Hi, Shelly. Good to see you!
- Hi, Christian. Welcome. Please, come in.
- Hey, Darcy. It’s really great to see you. Make yourself at home.
English Slang Greetings and Salutations
Slang is perhaps one of the most difficult parts of learning any language. Its correct usage is often subjective and depends on the situation, the environment, the age of the person you are talking to, and even your age. Here are a few slang expressions to get you started. This is most commonly used in Australia and New Zealand. A loose translation is everything is going to be OK. It shows a more relaxed attitude.
- What’s up? / Sup?
- She’ll be right
This way of greeting someone is more popular in the United States. It’s a replacement of the word Hi. You can mix and match and say Yo!
- Yo!
This is a more British / Australian way of saying Hi, how are you?
- What’s up!
- Alright, mate?
A slang expression in the United States, Canada, and even Australia. It’s an abbreviation of “Hello, how are you doing”? That’s a way to ask someone about their well-being in parts of the US, while it is also British slang for “Hello, how are you?”
- You alright?
We hope you found our list of English greetings and salutations useful. Stay tuned as we introduce you to more phrases that you can use in your everyday situations.
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