Spoken English · Articles · October 21, 2026 · 5 min read
Greetings in English: formal and informal ways to say hello, with replies
The most common greetings in English are Hello, Hi and Good morning / afternoon / evening, usually followed by How are you? Which one you choose depends on who you are talking to: Hey, what’s up? is fine with a friend, while Good morning, it’s nice to meet you suits an interview. Below are the main greetings for each situation, the natural replies, and the small mistakes that make a greeting sound off.
Formal greetings
Use these with interviewers, clients, teachers, senior colleagues and people you meet for the first time in a professional setting.
| Greeting | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening | The safest formal opening. Morning until about 12, afternoon until about 5–6, evening after that. |
| Hello, it’s nice to meet you. | Meeting someone for the first time. |
| It’s a pleasure to meet you. | A little more formal, good for interviews. |
| How do you do? | Very formal and old-fashioned; rarely used today. The reply is the same phrase, not an answer. |
| How are you? | Polite in any setting. |
Note: Good night is not a greeting. It means goodbye, usually late in the evening or before sleep. Walking into a party at 9 p.m., say Good evening, not Good night.
Interviewer: Good morning. Please have a seat. You: Good morning. Thank you, it’s nice to meet you. Interviewer: Nice to meet you too. How are you today? You: I’m very well, thank you. And you?
Informal greetings
For friends, classmates, colleagues you know well and people your age.
| Greeting | Notes |
|---|---|
| Hi! / Hey! | The everyday default. Hey is a bit more casual. |
| Hi, how’s it going? | Very common, means “how are you?” |
| What’s up? / Sup? | Casual, among friends. It’s a greeting more than a real question. |
| How are things? / How’s everything? | Friendly and neutral. |
| How have you been? | When you haven’t seen someone for a while. |
| Long time no see! | Same idea, informal. |
| Good to see you! | Warm, works for friends and colleagues. |
| Morning! | Short for Good morning, common at work. |
How to answer “How are you?”
In English, How are you? is often part of the greeting, not a real health question. Give a short answer and ask back.
| They say | You can answer |
|---|---|
| How are you? | I’m good, thanks. And you? / Pretty good, how about you? / Not bad, thanks. |
| How’s it going? | Good, thanks! You? / It’s going well. |
| What’s up? | Not much, you? / Nothing much, just working. |
| How have you been? | I’ve been good, busy with work. What about you? |
| How’s your day going? | Pretty good so far, thanks. |
If you really are having a bad day, with a friend you can say Honestly, not great. It’s been a long week. That invites a real conversation. With a stranger or at work, Not bad, thanks is usually enough.
A friendly exchange between colleagues:
Kavya: Hey Sam, how’s it going? Sam: Good, thanks! Bit busy with the release. You? Kavya: Same here. Coffee later? Sam: Sure, around four?
Greetings in emails and messages
| Situation | Opening |
|---|---|
| Formal, name unknown | Dear Sir or Madam, / Dear Hiring Manager, |
| Formal, name known | Dear Ms Rao, / Dear Mr Thomas, |
| Neutral, workplace | Hello Rahul, / Hi Rahul, |
| Casual | Hi! / Hey Rahul! |
| Group | Hi all, / Hello everyone, / Hi team, |
Then a short friendly line is common: I hope you’re well. or I hope you had a good weekend. In a formal email to someone you don’t know, it’s fine to go straight to the point.
Avoid Respected Sir in international emails. It is common in India, but outside India it sounds unusual; Dear Mr Kumar or Dear Sir or Madam is the standard.
Greetings on the phone and video calls
- Answering: Hello? (personal) / Hello, this is Priya speaking. / Good morning, Sunrise Hotel, how can I help you?
- Calling: Hi, it’s Arjun. Is this a good time? / Hello, could I speak to Mr Das, please?
- Video calls: Hi everyone, can you hear me? / Morning all, just waiting for a couple more people to join.
Saying goodbye
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| It was nice meeting you. | See you! / See you later! |
| Thank you for your time. | Bye! / Bye for now! |
| Have a good day / evening. | Take care! |
| I look forward to hearing from you. (email) | Catch you later! |
| Goodbye. | Talk soon! / Cheers! (UK) |
Note the difference: Nice to meet you at the start of a first meeting, It was nice meeting you at the end.
Common mistakes
- “Good night” as a greeting. Use Good evening to say hello; Good night only to say goodbye.
- Answering “What’s up?” with “I’m fine”. What’s up? expects Not much or a short piece of news.
- Long answers to “How are you?” at work or in a shop. A short reply and a question back is the normal rhythm.
- “How do you do?” with a real answer. If someone does say it, reply How do you do? or simply Nice to meet you.
- Forgetting to ask back. I’m fine and silence can feel cold. Add And you?
Practise greetings out loud
Reading greetings is easy; the hard part is saying them without a pause when someone greets you first. The conversation linked below this article is a short greetings lesson with Nomi in Nomto: Nomi greets you in different ways, you reply out loud or in text, and you get a correction and a more natural option after each line.
After greetings, the next step is usually introducing yourself; see self introduction in English with examples for students and freshers. And for the first minute of the IELTS Speaking test, see the IELTS Speaking introduction guide.
FAQ
What is the most common greeting in English?
Hi in informal situations and Hello in neutral ones. In formal settings, Good morning / afternoon / evening.
Is “Hey” rude?
No, it’s friendly and very common among friends and colleagues. In a formal email or interview, use Hello or Good morning instead.
How do I reply to “Nice to meet you”?
Nice to meet you too. or Likewise.
What does “Howdy” mean?
It is an informal greeting from the southern and western United States, short for “How do you do”. You will hear it in films, but you don’t need to use it.
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