Greetings

Lesson 01 · Greetings & farewells

English Greetings & Farewells

A simple hello can open the door to a conversation. You don’t need perfect English to get started. Begin with a friendly greeting, add a little back-and-forth, and learn how to end on a friendly note.

Your first small win: greet someone, ask how they are, and end the conversation.

01 / Make an entrance

Basic Greetings

Hello does a lot of work for five letters. Use it to greet someone, whatever the time of day. For a more relaxed greeting, say hi. Meeting someone for the first time? Add nice to meet you.

Hello.A friendly greeting for any time of day.
Hi.A shorter, more informal way to say hello.Common with friends, classmates, and people you know.
Nice to meet you.A friendly expression for meeting someone for the first time.Use when you are introduced to someone.

A quiet little detail: hello and hi mean almost the same thing, but hi sounds more casual. Tap the speaker, listen, then say each greeting aloud.

Your turn

You’ve just been introduced to a new classmate. Say “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

02 / A little back-and-forth

Asking How Someone Is

You’ve opened the conversation. Now give it somewhere to go: ask how the other person is, answer, and send the question back.

How are you?A common way to ask how someone is feeling or doing.Suitable for both friendly and polite conversations.
Very well, thank you.A polite, positive answer.
And you?A short way to return the question.Ask the other person how they are, too.
Fine, thanks.A natural, everyday answer.

Pass the question back

A friend asks “How are you?” You’re doing very well. Answer, then ask about them.

A little more formal: polite and casual English

English uses you when speaking to one person or several people, whether the conversation is formal or informal. Unlike some languages, English does not normally change the word for “you” to show respect. Instead, politeness often comes from the expressions you choose and the way you speak.

How are you?A polite, standard greeting.Suitable for meeting someone new or speaking to a teacher or colleague.
How’s it going?A relaxed, informal greeting.Common with friends and people you know.

Keep it flexible: English greetings vary by country, community, and relationship. How are you? works in most situations. How’s it going? sounds more casual. You don’t need to learn every expression yet.

03 / Make your exit

Common Farewells

Every conversation needs an exit line. Start with see you later, a useful everyday goodbye. If you’ll see someone tomorrow, say see you tomorrow.

See you later.A friendly, everyday goodbye.You can use it even without a definite plan to meet again.
See you tomorrow.Use when you expect to see someone the next day.

A goodbye with a date

You’ll see your friend tomorrow. What would you say in English?

Put it together

A Simple Conversation

You already have the pieces. Listen to each line, then read the conversation aloud. Try both parts.

Two friends cross paths

A
Hi! How are you?A friendly greeting followed by a question.
B
Very well, thank you. And you?A positive answer that returns the question.
A
Fine, thanks. See you later!A short answer followed by a friendly goodbye.
B
See you later!A natural way to finish the conversation.

Expand when you’re ready

More Useful Expressions

The phrases above are enough for your first exchange. Open these groups when you want more ways to say it.

Greetings that watch the clock

A timely hello: choose a greeting for the part of the day.

Good morning.A greeting used during the morning.
Good afternoon.A greeting used after midday and before evening.
Good evening.A polite greeting used in the evening.Use when meeting someone, not normally when saying goodbye.
Good night.A farewell used late in the evening or before going to bed.Unlike “good evening,” this is normally a goodbye, not a hello.

Watch the difference: good evening is a greeting, while good night is usually a farewell. The exact time for changing from one greeting to another depends on local custom.

Meeting someone and seeing them again

First introductions and familiar faces call for different lines.

Pleased to meet you.A polite way to greet someone for the first time.Sounds a little more formal than “Nice to meet you.”
It's a pleasure to meet you.A warm, polite introduction.Useful in professional or more formal situations.
You too.A short, friendly reply.For example, after someone says “Nice to meet you.”
Long time no see!A casual greeting for someone you haven’t seen for a while.
It's great to see you!A warm greeting when meeting someone again.Use when you are happy to see a familiar person.

One useful distinction: nice to meet you is usually for a first introduction. nice to see you is usually for someone you have met before. And in English, these expressions do not change depending on whether the speaker is male or female.

More ways to check in
How's everything going?A friendly way to ask how things are going.
All good, thanks.A casual way to say things are going well.
I'm well.A polite way to say you are doing well.
So-so.Not very good, but not very bad.For when you’re somewhere in the middle.

Listen for shorter forms: in everyday English, I'm means I am, and how's means how is. These shortened forms are called contractions. They are very common in spoken English.

Goodbyes worth keeping
Goodbye.A standard farewell suitable for most situations.
See you.A short, informal goodbye.
See you soon.A friendly farewell when you expect to meet again before long.
Take care.A warm way to say goodbye.Common with friends, family, and people you know.

A hello has body language, too. Waves, handshakes, hugs, and cheek kisses vary by place and relationship, even between English-speaking countries. A friendly spoken greeting is a fine start. Let the situation and your comfort guide any physical greeting.

Your turn / 8 quick questions

Practice: Greetings & Farewells

Choose the expression for each moment. These questions use the main lesson phrases. No timer, no rush. Say your answer aloud before you tap.

Audio uses your device’s English text-to-speech voice. Voice and accent depend on what’s available.