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Boost your confidence in communication with appropriate greetings in English

For a pleasant and natural conversation, the initial greeting is very important. In the article below, PREP will summarize various appropriate phrases of greetings in English for different situations that you can apply in various contexts.

I. What are greetings in English?
II. How to conduct greetings in English
III. Key differences in how English greetings are expressed across cultures
IV. Start Your IELTS Journey

I. What are greetings in English?

When we first meet or start a new conversation, we will greet each other with some initial English greetings. However, it is not always suitable to use "Hi, Hello, ..." in every case or situation. Below, PREP has shared with you some phrases of greetings in English for different situations so that you can diversify your greetings!

II. How to conduct greetings in English

Different types of relationships require varying greeting styles. Let's explore the differnt ways to say hello in English for friends, colleagues, and partners in the table below:

1. Daily life

Below are some common informal greetings in English used in everyday situations to greet each other.

English greeting words	Meaning
Hi!	Used in most situations. For close friends and acquaintances.
Hi there!
Hey!	For those with a friendly rapport. Indicates familiarity and informality.
Hello!
Hey you!	An affectionate and friendly greeting used to check in with acquaintances.
What’s up?	How have you been? A casual way of greeting close friends and asking about their situation.
Wazzup? (Informal phonetic version of "What's up?")	Same as "What's up?
‘Sup? (Contraction of "What's up?" conveying extra familiarity)	Same as "What's up?
Howdy! Abbreviation of "How are you doing?"	A greeting characteristic of Southern US regions, conveying friendliness.
Heya!	A variant of "hey" adding some playfulness to the greeting.
Yo!	A popular greeting between close friends.

2. Formal and polite situations

For more formal situations like the workplace or meeting partners, instead of just using common English greetings, you can opt for more polite greetings like:

English formal greetings	Meaning
Hello + (name)! For example: Hello Linda!
Hi + (name)! For example: Hi Bob!
Greetings!
Welcome!
Good day!
How do you do?	Replies in this case are optional.
Nice to meet you.
Pleased to make your acquaintance!
Allow me to introduce myself.
May I extend my warmest greetings to you?

3. The time of the day

Greetings can vary depending on the time of day. Greetings in the morning differ from those in the afternoon or evening. Here are some common English greeting phrases used for different periods:

Greetings in English: Time of Day	Meaning
Good morning!
Morning!	friendlier and closer
Hello, it’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?
Good afternoon!
Afternoon!	friendlier and closer
Hi there, how’s your day going so far?
Good evening!
Evening!	friendlier and closer
Hello, how was your day?
Good day!

4. People you haven't seen in a long time

These greeting phrases are informal and express joy at reconnecting with an old friend/acquaintance. Feel free to customize them based on your relationship and feelings for that person to find the most suitable greetings in English!

English greeting for old acquaintances:

Long time no see!
It’s been ages!
Wow, look who’s here! How have you been?
Hey there! I can’t believe it’s been so long!
Well, well, well, look who decided to show up! How’ve you been keeping?
Fancy meeting you here after all this time!
Hello! How’s life treating you?
I was just thinking about you the other day. It’s great to see you again!
What a pleasant surprise! How have things been since we last saw each other?
It’s wonderful to catch up with you after all these years. How’s everything going in your life?

5. Greeting via phone calls or emails

Here are some friendly phrases of greetings in English that are suitable for phone calls, text messages, or emails. Let's explore more with PREP right below!

Greeting via phone calls or emails	Meaning
Hello!
Hi!
Hey there!
Good morning/afternoon/evening!
Hi !
Dear	This is an engaging opening to an email or letter.
Greetings!	Opening an email
How are you?
I hope you’re doing well.
It’s nice to talk to you again

III. Key differences in how English greetings are expressed across cultures

Besides common English greetings for different situations, there are subtle differences in greeting styles between countries like England, America, and Australia. Below are some of the greetings from those countries collected by PREP, which friends can learn about to better understand the cultures of these lands!

England	America	Australia
How do you do? What’s new? How have you been? Good morning. Well, look who it is!	How are you? What’s up How are you doing? Whassup? Hey man Hey dude How are you guys?	Mate! Hey, what’s up Cheers You right? How ya goin’? How are ya? Howdy What’s going on? What do you know? How’s this weather?

IV. Start Your IELTS Journey

As mentioned above, PREP has collected a variety of common greetings in English for different situations that you may encounter daily. If you are looking to fast-track your IELTS success? Check out these proven study plans:

IELTS preparation course: Master Every Section of IELTS

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.