Remarks on the topic of greeting in English. All greetings in English

Hello everyone in this chat!

And what are we all about serious and complex?)) Let's go back to the basics in this lesson - greetings to English language(greeting people). This is the very first thing with which learning English begins! And any kind of communication.

Greeting in English (greeting) is, of course, the familiar hello, hi, how are you. But there are others.

We analyze greetings in English: how English greetings differ from each other and how to respond to different greetings. And also - we listen to songs and watch excerpts from films with examples of greetings.

Neutral greetings

Neutral greetings are universal. They can be used anytime, anywhere. Especially good - with strangers, new acquaintances or with the Queen of Great Britain, those who are older in status, position or age. With those with whom familiarity is not encouraged))

* How do you do - often does not require an answer. It's just part of the greeting in English. Sometimes there is such a dialogue, for example:

How do you do.

How do you do.

And no one bothers with the answer)) Simply because How do you do not required to answer.

Also, you may have noticed that next to good morning/afternoon/evening No good night. And it shouldn't be there!

good night- not a greeting, but vice versa)) That is, farewell and / or good night.

Also, hello doesn't always mean "hello". More about .

Informal greetings

Informal greetings are suitable for communicating with friends, acquaintances, friends, friends, buddies.

In a word, all those whom we already know.

With new acquaintances, it is better to stick to neutral greetings.

Well, you see, it’s strange to ask a new acquaintance What’s new?, if we don’t know how he was doing before.

Or, seeing the boss, joyfully shout Yo, wassup, nigga!))

* hey can also be used to attract attention, not just as a greeting.

If you haven't seen each other for a while

Well, if you haven’t seen a friend or acquaintance for a while, such greetings in English will do:

Rhymes with greetings

And for a snack - a couple of short rhymes with greetings.

Rhyme 1 - Hi, how are you

By the way, you can sing along))

And if you need text, click on the button.

Hi! How are you?

fine. How are you?

Hi! How are you?

fine. How are you?

Hi! How are you?

Hi! How are you?

Hi! How are you?

We noticed that the emphasis in How are you changes depending on whether the first is a replica or the second:

Hi, how are you?

Fine, how are YOU?

All over the world people greet each other. And friends, and colleagues, and relatives, and neighbors say: "Hello!" or "Hi!" The translation into English of this word is quite simple, but this is only at first glance.

Down with stereotypes!

After all, we do not always greet each other in the same way, it all depends on the situation and on the person we met. The English are no exception. And if the knowledge of some people is limited to only one banal phrase, then this is only the fault of the school curriculum, which provides only a formal version of the greeting, and not a natural one. This is the same as an Englishman coming up to you, a Russian, and saying instead of “Hello, how are you?” the phrase "Bread and salt to you!". It is difficult to even think how to respond to such a greeting. Let's look at the options that are relevant today.

Standard greetings

Now we will consider several options for how to say “Hi!” in English. However, remember that you must say it with a smile, which is a kind of good manners for the English when communicating.

• Hello! or Hi! This is the universal and most popular option, familiar to everyone. So they say "Hello!" in English to comrades or well-known people. If you are not a fan of this foreign language, then such knowledge about greetings will be quite enough. However, we are not like that, so we move on.
• Good morning (afternoon, evening), which means "Good morning (afternoon, evening)!". This is a no less common version of how to say “Hello!” in English, but already more complete and formal. This phrase will sound even more interesting if the following nuances are observed: morning - a word that should be used before noon, afternoon - until 18.00, evening - until midnight. However, if you need to greet someone, for example, at a party at one in the morning, then the last word will also come in handy.
• There are also phrases: How are you? and almost similar: How are you doing? They are quite formal, suitable for greeting strangers or unfamiliar people.

More used phrases

If you want to pass for an educated person who knows how to say “Hi!” sound right in every specific situation, then we go further.

Variants acceptable for a very close environment

As a rule, most people need a spoken foreign language, so it doesn’t really matter in this case how “Hello!” is written in English. The main thing is to know when and where to use this or that oral form. We go further.

First meeting

Now you know how to say “Hello!” in English, and you can safely use one or another option, depending on the situation. However, that's not all! How not to get confused and say hello properly when you are introduced to someone for the first time? In this case, we recommend using the following phrases:

• good to meet (see) you;
• nice to meet (see) you;
• I am pleased to meet (see) you;
• it is a pleasure to meet (see) you.

Thus, you will let the interlocutor know that you are pleased to meet him. Phrases, as they say, dry and formal, but will be useful to you in any case.

Unexpected meeting

Imagine a situation. You are walking down the street, thinking about something, and suddenly you meet that person whom you not only haven’t seen for a long time, but you didn’t even think of ever meeting just like that. How do you say "Hello" in English? in this case?

• Oh my dear God, It is you! We pronounce this phrase something like this: “Lord, is it really you?”
• Ahh, where have you been? It translates as "Where have you been?"
• Wow, it is so good that I see (meet) you again! - “Wow, how good it is to see (meet) you again!”

What if you don't have time?

Sometimes it happens. After all, you still need to say hello, but you also want to beautifully get away from a possible subsequent conversation, and do it in such a way that you don’t offend a person either. What to say in such a situation?

• Hi, sorry, unfortunately I can't stop. It means "Sorry, I can't talk right now."
• Hi there, I have no time now, but here is my phone number, give me a call. - “Hi, I don’t have time at all right now, but here is my number, call me back.”
• Hi, I want to talk, but unfortunately I have to dash. - "Hi, I would love to chat, but I have to run."

Informal greetings

Can you walk up to your friend and say, "Hi, old man!"? Of course yes. And do not think that the stiff English are incapable of such a thing. Arm yourself with the following phrases and use them to greet close friends.

Conclusion

In this article, we have examined how you can say hello in English to friends, colleagues, as well as how to do it correctly and culturally. You can safely replace many words in the above phrases with synonyms, it won’t get any worse, especially if the phrase was already informal. For additional practice, we recommend watching films in English, where you will hear all this more than once and understand where and how to use greetings.

When writing a letter, the beginning, that is, the appeal to the addressee, plays an important role. The address in the English letter differs significantly from the address in Russian. Therefore, in order to write a letter that is correct from the point of view of etiquette, you need to know some rules.

Always remember that the form of address in a letter depends on the degree of acquaintance or family ties with the person to whom you are addressing the letter.

General circulation model:

Dear /My dear+ recipient's name (with or without courtesy) + colon
Dear /My dear+ recipient's name (with or without courtesy) + comma,

where courtesy are formsMr., Mrs., Miss, Ms., Sir, Madam, which are used only with the surname (periods after the forms Mr., Mrs., Ms., as a rule, are put).

Basic rules of address in English writing.

1. Letters that are strictly formal in tone and content should begin with Dear/My dear and courtesy:

2. In official letters to strangers whose names you do not know, the following polite forms are used:

The last two addresses are used both in relation to married and to unmarried women. The combination Dear Miss is not used as an address in English.

3. In less formal and semi-official correspondence, you can find the following forms:

4. If you do not know the name of the addressee, you should not use phrases To whom it may concern(To whom it concerns). Instead, you should indicate the position or greeting of a general nature:

Dear Recruiter:
Dear Claims Adjustor:
Dear Sir or Madame:

5. If you do not know the gender of the recipient, write it full name, omitting the polite treatment:

Dear Dana Simms:
Dear T.K. Spinazola:

6. If you are in doubt about the choice of addressing a woman (Miss or Mrs.), Use the neutral Ms.

7. If you are writing to two people, be sure to include both names in the greeting:

Dear Mr. Trujillo and Ms. Donne:
Dear Alex and Jill:

8. Never write the following courtesy in full:
Mr., Ms., Mrs. and Dr.:

These appeals, on the contrary, should not be reduced:
Professor, Dean, Sister, Rabbi, Imam, Senator, Governor, Captain, Admiral, Judge

9. If you are writing a letter not to a particular person, but to an organization, use its name in circulation:

Dear Syntax Training:

10. In simplified business letters, don't use the greeting at all. Instead, you need to specify the subject in capital letters, after which the body of the letter will go.

WAYS TO BEGIN A BUSINESS LETTER
I am writing to share information about standard letter openings to…
(A simplified form of a business letter is rarely used.)

11. When greeting a letter to unfamiliar or unfamiliar people, a polite address and surname should be used.

12. In informal situations, i.e. when referring to acquaintances, relatives, friends, only names are used (without polite address):

Polite AddressesMy dear Sir, My dear Madam, Sir, Madam are strictly official. Dear Sir, Dear Madam somewhat less formal. However, all these forms are used in official situations.

As you can see from the previous examples, both a comma and a colon can appear after the conversion. The comma is in accordance with the British tradition, and the colon in accordance with the American one, but at present this distinction is hardly observed. In addition, the comma is used in letters less than official style(social letters), which include letters of sympathy, gratitude, personal congratulations (on a wedding, birthday, promotion, etc.), and a colon in strictly official letters.

13. Appeal to a woman
When addressing a woman, her preferences regarding this issue should be taken into account. That is, a married woman can leave her name and take her husband's surname, she can take her husband's full name and surname, etc. It is recommended to find out about such preferences in advance (for example, from friends or from a signature in a letter). See the table below for details.

14. Appeal to a couple (husband and wife)

Rules for writing Email in English

To write a formal style email (business email), follow all the formal style rules listed above (points 1-11). informal email usually starts like this.

Dear Han,
Hi, Ivan,
Hi, Kate,
Sue, Brooke:
Good morning Kitty
hello homer,

Or just start the first sentence with a name:

Bart, you were absolutely right about the matter.

Summary table of appeals in letters in English.

Sometimes I really want to ask some English teachers: “How long will we traumatize the psyche of foreigners by learning the phrase “How do you do?” instead of greeting in natural English, and even demanding a similar response from an English-speaking person? After all, this is tantamount to when an Englishman comes up to us on the street and diligently greets us in Russian: “Bread and salt!” And you, accordingly, will have to answer "salt-bread."

In general, down with outdated versions of greetings and goodbyes. We will learn only phrases that are relevant today. We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the options for answering the question "how are you?" in English. It is difficult to imagine a dialogue consisting only of "hello-bye", without a brief (or not so) story about your affairs.

GREETINGS IN ENGLISH

It is advisable to accompany all these greeting phrases in English with a Hollywood smile - as is customary "with them", even if you don't want to sparkle with snow-white teeth now.

Standard
hello- hello (generally) universal option). And one could not even take a steam bath further, but the position of being in love with English obliges to know more.

Hi- hello (the word is no less popular than the previous one).

good morning/afternoon/evening- good morning/afternoon/evening. More interesting option and is quite universal, if only some nuances are taken into account: morning is until noon, afternoon is until 6 pm, evening is conditionally until midnight, but if you have to say hello at a party, then no one will be offended by such a greeting even at 2 am.

More "colloquial" phrases
Hi there!- hey, hello to you there (generally, quite a slang option. You can risk your life and address a certain company that decided to gather under your window with songs and strong drinks).

hello there!- hey, you there - hello! (a somewhat more refined expression, if I may say so. But in general, the meaning is almost the same as in the previous appeal).

Hey, how are you doing?- Hello how are you? (a favorite expression on Vkontakte - it annoys many, but English-speaking comrades really like it, because it sounds less formal than the usual hi and even gives you the opportunity to show your interest)

What's up?- what's new / how are you (an option that is more acceptable surrounded by close people / friends - it's not very recommended to say hello to unfamiliar people like that)

How's it going?- how are you / how are you (another version, and also for people who are quite familiar with each other)

Wow, it's good to see you!- Oh, cool, good to see you! (instead of good, you can substitute almost anything to express your emotions - it will turn out unobtrusively and interestingly)

Howdyfriend- how are you friend? (purely American feature)

heydude,What'sup? - Hey dude, how are you?

heybro,What'sup? - Hi brother, how are you?

Hey man! How's your hummer hanging? - Translation for "18 and over" only. In general, such a good slang for the most closely known men.

No one can forbid you to come up with your own greetings with friends: nicknames, jokes, and words that only you can understand can be used. For those who are not fond of reinventing the wheel, we suggest studying a selection of common informal greetings in English.

For lovers of ornate expressions

Hi there, hey how are you doing? Hey, you, hello, how are you doing in general?
hello,howhaveyoubeen? Hello, how did you live?
It "s good to see you, how" s life has been treating you? Glad to see you, how young is life?

For those who are the first time
Or rather, how to greet a person with whom you have just been accidentally introduced.

Good to meet you / It's nice to meet you Pleased to meet you
I'm pleased to meet you / It's a pleasure to meet you Nice to meet you

Surprises
You walked along the street, and suddenly - bam! - unexpectedly met a man whom they had not seen for a hundred years, had not heard, and generally did not think that they would see them again sometime.

Oh my God, it's you! Oh God, it's you!
Ahh,wherehaveyoubeen? Ahh, where have you been (then you can add your curse)
Mygoodness,longtimenospeak(see) Oh god, haven't seen each other in so long!
Wow, it's so good to see you again Wow, great to see you again...
Is it really you? When did we last meet? Wow, as I live and breathe, it "s my best friend from school Is this really you? When did we last meet? Wow, how much I live and breathe, you are my best friend from school!

You have no time
Well, whatever happens. We greeted and ran on. And then they got off beautifully.

Hi, sorry I can't stop. Hello, I'm sorry, I can't stop

Oh hi there, look I "m a bit pushed for time, here"s my phone number give me a call sometime
Oh hello there. Listen, I'm a little late already, here's my phone number, call me sometime

Hello there, look I "m on my way to work maybe catch up with you again soon. Oh hello to you. Listen, I'm running to work. Maybe we'll meet again soon.

Hey I would love to stop and chat but I really have to dash. Hey, I'd love to stop and chat, but I really have to run.

For travelers in Foggy Albion
Everyone knows how the British love to talk about the weather. That, too, would pass for a very kind greeting.

Hello, isn't it a lovely day? Hello, great day, isn't it?
Hello, what about this terrible weather? Hello, how do you like today's terrible weather?
Hello, did you hear the storm last night? Hello, did you hear a thunderstorm last night?

For those who like to chat
If you are already at least familiar with the person, then you can keep up the conversation by slightly enriching the greeting with the question:

Hello, how's the family? Hello, how is the family doing?
Hello, how's your wife doing? Hello, how are you?
Hello, how are the kids? Hello, how are the kids?
What's new?- What's new? (although this phrase, by and large, is more often pronounced out of politeness than out of a desire to find out what is really new with you)

FAREWELL IN ENGLISH

You can, of course, leave in English. And you can leave like a human being. Moreover, as Stirlitz said, only the last words will be remembered.

By the way, the expression "leave in English" is as far-fetched as "roller coaster". Most probably know that all over the world this attraction is called "roller coaster", and only we stubbornly repeat: "No, American."

Initially, the only way to leave without saying goodbye was in French. And this concerned the French captured soldiers, who, at their own discretion, simply took and left the location of the unit. The British, being great lovers of jokes, laughed at such impudence and said: "They left in French." This happened back in the 18th century during the Seven Years' War. The French turned out to be touchy and did not find anything better than to substitute another word for a teaser: "filer à l'anglaise" - that is, to leave in English. It's funny, but it was the last word that the cow ate that took root in Russian.

But in fact, the British, of course, say goodbye. And very sophisticated.

Standard

good-bye- goodbye (where would it be without this expression)
Bye-bye- bye-bye (which is quite logical)
Bye for now- that's all for now

Ennobled version of farewell
In order not to be completely banal, you can safely use the times of the day (we look at the nuances of the clock in greetings). By the way, this is a real find for Russian-speakers as well. It is very unusual and pleasant to hear such parting words from employees. different firms with whom you communicate on the phone. In particular, for the second time I call the company of a well-known Internet provider and, in parting, the operators kindly say “good evening” or “good day” instead of “goodbye” - completely different feelings from the conversation:

Have a nice day/evening! - Have a good day/evenings
Haveagoodnight!/Goodnight- Good night (and replacing the word "good" with other versions, you can make a farewell for adults)

If you want to meet again
Then we use seeyou(see you / see you later) naked or in variations:

Seeyousoon. See you soon / See you soon
Seeyoulater. See you soon / see you later
Seeyouthen. Come on, see you
See you in a bit. See you soon
Seeyouaround. See you soon
see you again. See you
see you tomorrow. Till tomorrow
Seeyoutoday. Until the evening
Seeya. See you soon (informal)
Solong. See you
Later. See you later
Catchyoulater. See you later/See you later
I hope to see you soon. I hope we will meet soon
Ihopewe'llmeetagain. Hope to see you again
Till you meet again. Until we meet again
Drop in again some time. Meet me sometime
Hold the fort down, will ya? Hold your tail with a gun! (literally - keep the fortress)

Wishes for the track
For the trembling / attentive / polite.

takecare!- Take care
Goodluck!- Good luck
Allthebest! - All the best
Haveagoodtrip- Have a good trip
Write to us- Write to us
call me- Call me
I'm sorry to see you go I'm sorry you're leaving
I've enjoyed seeing you I was glad to see you
Come back soon - Come back soon
Remember me to your wife/brother… Hi wife/brother...
My regards to the family- hello family

semi-formal/semi-formal
Here we add everything that does not fit into any framework

Farewell- Goodbye
Adieu- bye (adyu) - slang word
Ciao - ciao (like ours - borrowed from Italians)
Cheerio- Be healthy / all the best (purely British feature)
I must go/ I must be going- I have to go
Cheers,mate- bye, friend (favorite feature of the British)
Toodles- till
Ta-ta- while (as a rule, taken from girlfriends)
I'd better be going- I guess it's time for me
Let'ssleeponit- morning is wiser than evening (and if accurate translation, then "you need to sleep with this" - i.e. think out)
See ya later! Alligator/ In a while crocodile - there is no Russian analogue for these rhymes. You can think of it as something like "bye, old man"
nightie-night- Quiet-pokey
Good Night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite - Goodnight, sleep tight and don't let the bugs eat you.
See Ya!! wouldn't wanna be ya! - I don't want to see you again (like a joke)

The end result should be a fairly exhaustive list. But if there is something else on the example - let's not be greedy and share.

especially for

There are many ways to address a person when meeting, but how to choose the appropriate one in any particular case? Greet the interlocutor, given the nature of communication with him. Contact can be formal (role-based) or informal (personal), and yes, being able to distinguish one style of communication from another is very important point in the process of learning English.

It may seem difficult at first, but over time you will understand which greetings to use and under what circumstances. To help you, YES English courses offer a range of situational universal greetings in English that can be safely used in formal, informal or non-formal situations.

Universal greetings

Remember that this does not include "Good day!", which translates as "All the best!", Not "Have a nice day!", and is used when parting. And the phrase "Good night!" has a literal translation of "Good night!" and also means goodbye.

business greetings

If we imagine a working dialogue in the form of a constructor, then a correct business greeting in English will be a defining element among its other components, the basis of the first impression and further communication.

At customs, at the airport, government agency, office, you should observe etiquette and show emphatic courtesy. Speak to formal language it is also necessary at business meetings and negotiations, at interviews, in communication with teachers at the university and with those whom you do not know well and with older people.

In addition to universal greetings, there are the following official ways to say "Hello!":

Official addresses

Addressing a person officially, it is customary to indicate the status before his name.

friendly greetings

Sometimes it seems that the British themselves are tired of ceremony. In any case, modern English is damn rich in friendly greetings. It is desirable to resort to informal language at conferences, talking with friends and colleagues in your free time, as well as with all those whom you already know very well.

The most popular greeting words in English known to everyone:

All of them translate as "Hello!", but are arranged in order of increasing familiarity.

"Hey!" - the most behind-the-scenes expression, an abbreviation for the American "Hey, guys!" - "Hi guys!". It is used in relation to friends from the same company, people who are close in spirit.

How are you?

Be careful! When answering the above questions, do not try to list all the things that you managed or could not do today. They are unassuming and suggest primitive answers.

Answer examples:

• fine, thank you. And you? - Well thank you. And you?
• Awesome! you? - Awesome! What about you?
• Hello, Ann - not bad, thanks! How about you? - Hello, Anya, not bad, thank you! What about you?
• Doing well. And how have you been? - Good! How are you?
• fine. And you? How are you? - Good! And you? How are you?
• Hey dear. How are you? - Hi dear. How do you?

Meeting after a long separation

If you have not seen a person for some time and suddenly meet him in a cafe or walking somewhere in the city, express your feelings in the following expressions.

These greetings are used when you have not seen a person for a long time. With their help, you can resume communication after separation. The question "When was the last time we saw each other?" “How long have we not seen each other?” is an easy way to start a conversation about what has happened since you last saw each other.

Slang greetings

Imagine that you are in a certain reality where local population does not speak in standard, formulaic phrases. The reality you are in right now is based on play and originality. This is a street subculture, and you are outsiders in it. “They don’t go to a strange monastery with their own charter” - you will have to adhere to local rules. Below we draw up a rescue plan - remember English slang and look for super-informal ways to say the word Hello!

Street slang is an important part of modern spoken English. And in this style, greetings can be distinguished for people who met after a long separation.

As a gift to those who have read to the end, we offer a look at a selection of famous greetings from English films and TV shows.

The most beloved greeting of typical supernatural fans. ("The Vampire Diaries" - "The Vampire Diaries")

It seems that Ben Geller, who played the role of Ross, should have presented an acting award for one of his most depressing "Haay!", Which amused more than one generation of viewers.

P.S. Don't be like Ross!

("Friends" - "Friends")

Do you remember handsome Joey Tribbiani and his famous "How are you doing?"

("Friends" - "Friends")

Most recently, this song was at the top of various charts. To date, the video has 2,346,309,814 views!

Let's sing a modern hit together and say hello to Adele.

"Hello, it's me" ("Hello, it's me").

Ah, sing along with Adele!

Afanaskina Ekaterina Vladimirovna - expert of the educational and methodological department
Center for Foreign Languages ​​"YES".