20 English Greetings To Sound Natural In Conversation
by Olly Richards
G’day!
This is just one of the English greetings you’re going to learn in this post.
I’m sure you already know “hi,” “good morning,” and “hello”. But there are many more phrases you can use when greeting and bidding farewell to someone.
Learning these English greetings will add variety to your conversational English and help you sound more natural too.
So let’s dive in!
1. Hey There!
This is a casual and friendly way to greet someone. You can use it with friends, people you know well, and people you generally have a friendly relationship with.
You can also use it with people you don’t know but want to appear friendly to. Staff members in most cafès in London would greet you by saying, “Hi there!”
Example:
Speaker A: “Hey there! How can I help you?”
Speaker B: “Hi! Could I have a hot chocolate please?”
No wonder many of the text conversations I start with my friends on WhatsApp start with me saying, “What’s up, buddy?”
While it may seem like a question, this is often used more as a way to say “hello” than a genuine inquiry into someone's well-being or current activities.
So you don’t need to respond to “What's up?” with an in-depth explanation of everything you’ve been doing. You can just say, “All good” or “Not much”.
Example:
Speaker A: “Hey, what's up?”
Speaker B: “Not much, just chilling at home. How about you?”
3. Howdy! /ˈhaʊdi/
Howdy is another casual greeting commonly used in certain English-speaking regions, especially in the southern United States.
The word comes from the phrase “How do ye?,” which was used in late 16th century England to inquire about others' health. But, like “What’s up?”, people use it as a friendly way to say hello, not as a question to know how well you are.
Example:
Speaker A: “Howdy! How's your day going?”
Speaker B: “Hi! It's been pretty good so far. Thanks for asking.”
4. G’day Mate!
This is what the Aussies (people from Australia) say Down Under (Australia). It’s a very informal way to say hi and it’s very common in the land of kangaroos.
“Mate” is an informal word to say “friend”. But what’s that “G” + the apostrophe?
I’ll give you a hint. Australians love shortening words, so the “service station” becomes “the servo”, “arvo” means “afternoon,” and “breakfast” becomes “brekkie.” Guess what “good” becomes then!
“Sup bro!” is a slang greeting commonly used among friends, especially in New Zealand.
“Sup” is short for “What's up?” while “bro” is a colloquial term short for “brother”. So, as you can imagine, this is a very informal way to say hi to your friends.
Speaker A: “Sup bro!”
Speaker B: “Sup!”
6. Yo! /joʊ/
Here’s another slang word to say hello. It’s typical of American English slang and it became popular thanks to the Italian-American community in Philadelphia, USA, in the 1940s.
“Alright?” is a casual and abbreviated form of “Are you alright?” or “Are you doing alright?”
You can use this as a friendly and informal way to ask if everything is okay or as a greeting instead of “hello”.
Speaker A: “Alright?”
Speaker B: “Alright! How’s it going?”
8. How Have You Been?
This is another way to say “How are you?” that you can use as a greeting in informal or friendly settings.
Speaker A: “Hey, John! How have you been?”
Speaker B: “Hey, Sarah! I've been great, thanks for asking. How about you?”
9. Long Time No See!
There are times when you’re happy to see a person you haven’t seen in a long time and this is a nice phrase you can use to show them you’re glad to see them again.
Speaker A: “Hey, Olly! Long time no see! How have you been?”
Speaker B: “Hey, Cara! It’s been ages! I’ve been great! And you?”
10. How Do You Do?
You may say, “How do I do what?!”
No worries, no one is asking you about how you do things. This is a very formal way to say hello.
It’s probably what the British royal family would use when greeting authorities around the world.
The funny thing about this is that you could reply by repeating the question. Like this:
Speaker A: “How do you do?”
Speaker B: “How do you do?”
Weird, I know.
11. See/Catch You Later/Soon!
When you and another person part ways, you can simply say “See you later” even though you have no real plan to see that person again soon.
This is a polite way to say goodbye and you can use it both in formal and formal situations.
Speaker A: “Well, I should get going now. See you later!”
Speaker B: “Sure, take care! See you later!”
12. See You/Ya!
“See ya!” is similar to “see you later” but more informal (“ya” is slang for “you”).
Speaker A: “I need to go guys! See ya!”
Speaker B: “See ya!”
13. Have A Good One!
This is my favourite way of saying goodbye.
It’s short for “Have a good [day/evening/weekend/etc.],” so you can use it in many different situations – both informal and formal. It’s a very flexible phrase.
Speaker A: “I’m leaving. Have a good one!”
Speaker B: “Thanks! You too.”
14. Bye For Now
You can use this when you know you’re going to see the person again soon.
Speaker A: “OK I’m going home for a shower. I’ll see you tonight. Bye for now.”
Speaker B: “Okay, see you later.”
15. Enjoy The Rest Of Your Day/Night
Don’t you love this one? It’s a friendly and polite way to say goodbye that wishes well to the person you’re leaving. Lovely phrase.
Speaker A: “Thanks for coming to the meeting, everyone. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Speaker B and C: “Thanks, Mark. You too. Bye!”
16. I’ll See You Around
There are times when you don’t know whether or not you’ll meet a person again because you live in different towns or maybe you know it’s unlikely you’ll see each other again. In this case, you can say “I’ll see you around”.
I like this phrase because “around” could mean many things, It might mean around town, around the office, or even around the world!
Speaker A: “It was great chatting with you. I’ll see you around!”
Speaker B: “Yeah, see you around. Bye!”
17. So Long
“So long” is an informal and casual way to say goodbye. It’s a mysterious phrase though. Why do we use these two words? What is so long? Why not so short? Hmm…weird.
Some say it comes from Ireland, others claim it’s an Americanism. If you’re interested in finding out more about this, you read this article.
Speaker A: “Well, I should be on my way. So long!”
Speaker B: “Bye bye. So long!”
18. Take Care
Take care of what? Take care of yourself, of course! This is why you can use this phrase when you want to express a wish for someone's well-being. Here's an example of how you can use it
Speaker A: “Well, I'll see you later. Take care!”
Speaker B: “Thank you! You too. Take care!”
You can use “take care” in formal and informal contexts.
19. Ciao!
The beautiful thing about languages is that they’re very generous. They lend and borrow words and phrases all the time without asking for a deposit. English has borrowed many over the course of history and “ciao” is just another one of these.
Italians use this greeting to say both hi and goodbye. “Ciao” works in both cases in Italy, but in English speakers only use it when leaving and bidding farewell.
Speaker A: “Alright, I need to go now. Ciao!”
Speaker B: “Take care! Ciao!”
“Ciao” is informal. I wouldn’t use it with people I don’t have a friendly relationship with.
20. Take It Easy
What a cool way to say goodbye. When you’re parting ways with a person, you can use “take it easy” as an informal phrase to express a wish for them to relax, take care of themselves, or have a stress-free time.
You can use it in various situations and this is a phrase that’s often associated with a laid-back and easygoing attitude.
Speaker A: “Well, I'll see you later. Take it easy!”
Speaker B: “Thanks! You too. Take care!”
English Greetings
All right! What do you think of these English greetings? Did you learn any new ones?
Remember that another way to expand your repertoire of greetings is to read short stories in English. Books are usually rich in direct speech so it’s highly likely that you’ll see something like this:
I hope you’ll give it a go! And I also trust I’ll “see” you again on my blog, so I can only say to you, “Bye for now!”
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Latin?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Norwegian?
Download Your Free StoryLearning® Kit!
Discover the world famous story-based method that 1,023,037 people have used to learn a language quickly…
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Swedish?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Danish?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Arabic?
FREE StoryLearning Kit!
Join my email newsletter and get FREE access to your StoryLearning Kit — discover how to learn languages through the power of story!
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download a FREE Story in Japanese!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Japanese and start learning Japanese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download Your FREENatural Japanese Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Japanese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Japanese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Japanese?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
What is your current level in German?
Train as an Online Language Teacher and Earn from Home
The next cohort of my Certificate of Online Language Teaching will open soon. Join the waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as enrolment is open!
Train as an Online Language Teacher and Earn from Home
The next cohort of my Certificate of Online Language Teaching will open soon. Join the waiting list, and we’ll notify you as soon as enrolment is open!
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
Loading…
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Turkish?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in German?
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download Your FREEJapanese Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Japanese Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Japanese words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download Your FREE German Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my German Vocab Power Pack and learn essential German words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in German?
Download Your FREE Italian Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Italian Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Italian words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in Italian?
Download Your FREEFrench Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my French Vocab Power Pack and learn essential French words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
What is your current level in Russian?
What is your current level in Russian?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Arabic?
What is your current level in Portuguese?
What is your current level in Turkish?
What is your current level in Korean?
What is your current level in Russian?
What is your current level in Japanese?
What is your current level in Chinese?
What is your current level in Spanish?
What is your current level in Italian?
What is your current level in French?
What is your current level in German?
Download Your FREENatural Portuguese Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Portuguese Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Portuguese grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download Your FREENatural Russian Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Russian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Russian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Russian?
Download Your FREENatural German Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural German Grammar Pack and learn to internalise German grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in German?
Download Your FREENatural French Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural French Grammar Pack and learn to internalise French grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in French?
Download Your FREENatural Italian Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Italian Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Italian grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Italian?
Download a FREE Story in Portuguese!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Brazilian Portuguese and start learning Portuguese quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Portuguese?
Download a FREE Story in Russian!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Russian and start learning Russian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Russian?
Download a FREE Story in German!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in German and start learning German quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in German?
Download a FREE Story in Italian!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Italian and start learning Italian quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Italian?
Download a FREE Story in French!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in French and start learning French quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in French?
Download a FREE Story in Spanish!
Enter your email address below to get a FREE short story in Spanish and start learning Spanish quickly and naturally with my StoryLearning® method!
What is your current level in Spanish?
FREE Download:
The Rules of Language Learning
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Rules of Language Learning and discover 25 “rules” to learn a new language quickly and naturally through stories.
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download Your FREESpanish Vocab Power Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Spanish Vocab Power Pack and learn essential Spanish words and phrases quickly and naturally. (ALL levels!)
What is your current level in Spanish?
Download Your FREENatural Spanish Grammar Pack
Enter your email address below to get free access to my Natural Spanish Grammar Pack and learn to internalise Spanish grammar quickly and naturally through stories.
What is your current level in Spanish?
Free Step-By-Step Guide:
How to generate a full-time income from home with your English… even with ZERO previous teaching experience.
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Thai?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Spanish?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Cantonese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Russian?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Korean?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Japanese?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Italian?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in German?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in French?
Steal My Method?
I’ve written some simple emails explaining the techniques I’ve used to learn 8 languages…
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
I want to be skipped!
Join 84,574 other language learners getting StoryLearning tips by email…
“After I started to use your ideas, I learn better, for longer, with more passion. Thanks for the life-change!” – Dallas Nesbit
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Download this article as a FREE PDF?
What is your current level in Chinese?
Which language are you learning?
What is your current level in [language]?
Find The Perfect Language Course For You!
Looking for world-class training material to help you make a breakthrough in your language learning?
Click ‘start now’ and complete this short survey to find the perfect course for you!