CLASS _____________ DATE ____________________ STUDENT ____________________

GREETINGS AND INTRODUCTIONS

GREET PEOPLE (INFORMAL)

‘Hello’- a very common way of greeting. ‘hey’ – ‘hi’more informal than hello.

Matt - Hey Jane, how you doing?

Jane, - Alright Matt, how’s it going?/ How are you?

‘Alright mate!’ / ‘Alright’ – that’s very informal.

In England and Australia, you often here it with‘mate’ – an informal word meaning ‘friend’ which
refers to the person you’re speaking to. ‘Alright mate!’

Hello Carrie, you alright?

‘You alright?’ Of course the most correct way of saying this would be‘Are you alright?’ But it often
just becomes, ‘You all right?’
Neil - Hello Carrie, you alright?

How you doing? How are you doing?’ How’s it going?’

Hey Jane, how you doing?
‘How you doing?’ –- ‘How are you doing?’ would be more correct, but we often miss out the ‘are’
so it’s just ‘How you doing?’
A variation on that, which you’re probably more likely to hear in Australia is ‘How you going?’

Neil - Alright Carrie, how are you?

Carrie - Yeah, I’m fine Neil, how you going?

Neil - Hello Carrie, you alright?

Carrie - Alright Matt, how’s it going?

So how could you respond when you’re asked how you are? One of the most common answers is,
‘Fine, thanks!’ But here are some more. All of them are quite informal.
Not bad! Alright, thanks Very well, thanks!’
Good, thanks! OK, thanks!

After you’ve answered that question, the most usual thing to do is to return the question and ask the
other person if they are well. You can return the question with a simple ‘…and you?’ or ‘How
about you?’
Alright Matt, how’s it going? Hey Jane, how you doing?
Yeah, no trouble, how about you alright? Good thanks, and you?
Yeah, not bad Yeah, not bad, not bad.

A recap of the key phrases

Hello! How you doing? Fine, thanks!
Hi! How you going? Not bad, not bad!
Hey! How’s it going? Alright, thanks!
Alright! You alright? I’m OK!
How are you? Good, thanks! And you?

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How about you? What about you?

FORMAL GREETINGS

Good morning, sir/ madam.. Using “sir” or “madam” (AmE Ma´am )in a greeting sounds very
formal. One of the most common situations isin the service industry (a hotel receptionist talking to a
guest, a waiter talking to a customer in a restaurant. Or it could be in a shop - anywhere where
people are dealing with customers or clients).
If a waiter says ‘good evening, sir’ you would just reply with ‘good evening’ you wouldn’t say
‘good evening, sir’ back.

Good morning, sir. It’s a real honour to have you here. The situation that makes me think of is of
greeting a VIP - perhaps a very important politician or leader who you meet. In some cases, people
use it when they are greeting someone much older than they are, as a sign of respect. Or you may
occasionally hear it used in the workplace, where employees want to show respect for their
superiors.
Good morning, sir.
Hello, James.

Informal greeting Formal greeting

Morning! Good morning, Mr Jones.
Hi! How’s it going? Hello, James. How are you?
Good thanks – you? I’m very well, thank you. How are you?
Yeah, fine. Fine, thank you.

Handy phrases you could use in greetings.

Madeleine and Angus are both at the same dinner party. They’ve met a couple of times before, but
haven’t seen each other for a while. o

Hello Madeleine. It's lovely to see you again: how are you?
Hello, Angus. I’m very well, thank you. It's been a long time, hasn't it? How are things with you?

‘It’s been a long time,hasn’t it?’/ ‘Lovely to see you again’ -expressions often used when you
haven’t seen someone for a while.

‘How are things with you?’ another way of saying ‘how are you?

A recap of the language

good morning how are you? it's lovely to see you again
good afternoon, sir how are things with you? it's been a long time, hasn't it?
good evening, madam I’m very well, thank you.

INTRODUCE PEOPLE (FORMAL)

How do you introduce yourself or other people in a polite way?

We are going to hear a conversation between two people who haven’t met before. Imagine it’s at a
conference. Bob wants to introduce himself to Mary. As he approaches her, she is talking to
someone else.

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Hello, excuse me… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt…um, I just wanted to introduce myself, um,
I’m Bob Reddington from Reddington Papers.
Oh, hello, nice to meet you. I don’t believe we’ve met before.
Um, no we haven’t. I have seen you from afar at a... I think it was one of Charles’s pool parties.
He starts off with a simple greeting: ‘Hello…’ he then apologies for coming up to her while she is
speaking to someone else.

Hello, excuse me… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt… After he’s apologised for interrupting,
he goes on to tell her who he is.

I just wanted to introduce myself, um, I’m Bob Reddington from Reddington Papers.
So you can say, ‘I just wanted to introduce myself…’ or I like to introduce myself…’ followed
by your name and in business contexts, often what you do. Or you could say ‘I’d like to introduce
myself…’

What does Mary say in response to Bob?

Hello, excuse me… I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt…I just wanted to introducemyself. I’m Bob
Reddington from Reddington Papers.
Oh, hello, nice to meet you. I don’t believe we’ve met before.

‘Nice to meet you,’ she says – a very common response when you meet someone for the first time.
You could also say ‘Pleased to meet you.’ She follows it with. ‘I don’t believe we’ve met before.’
That’s a polite way of acknowledging that you’re meeting someone for the first time – or even
checking that you haven’t met them before, in case you can’t remember!

Oh, hello, nice to meet you. I don’t believe we’ve met before.
Um, no we haven’t. I have seen you from afar at a- I think it was one of Charles’s pool parties.

Mr Jones is the director of a company. Miss Smith is an employee. She knows who he is, but he
hasn’t met her yet.

Uh, good evening, um, Mr Jones, isn’t it?

That’s right, yes, hello.
Hi, it’s a lovely party you’ve put on here.
Oh, well, glad you’re enjoying it!
I don’t think we’ve actually met formally yet.
No, no I don’t think we have.
My name’s Miss Smith and I work in accounts.

She says, ‘I don’t think we’ve actually met formally yet.’ A nice thing to say when you have had
some kind of contact or link with another person (like you’ve seen them in the same building or
spoken briefly), but you haven’t actually exchanged names. After that, you can go on to tell them
who you are.

I don’t think we’ve actually met formally yet.

No, no I don’t think we have.
My name’s Miss Smith and I work in accounts.
Oh, ok.

How about if you want to introduce someone else?

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Mrs Sullivan, Professor Kostenko and Mrs Chapman
Oh, professor Kostenko, have you met my colleague, Mrs Chapman?
Hello Mrs Chapman, pleased to meet you.
Hello Professor, very nice to meet you too.

‘Have you met…?’/ ‘Have you met Mary?’/ ‘Have you met my friend? An easy way to introduce
one person to another.
‘Pleased to meet you…’ Very nice to meet you…” - responses

Mrs Sullivan, Professor Kostenko and Mrs Chapman

Professor Kostenko, there’s someone I’d like you to meet, it’s Mrs Chapman.
Hello, Mrs Chapman, it’s a pleasure to meet you.

‘There’s someone I’d like you to meet…’ - a very pleasant way of introducing someone.

You could also say ‘I’d like to introduce you to…’

‘Professor Kostenko, I’d like to introduce you to Mrs Chapman.’
When he is introduced, Professor Kostenko says ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’

Professor Kostenko and Mrs Chapman

Hello, Mrs Chapman, it’s a pleasure to meet you.
Likewise.

‘Likewise’ – a word we can use to return a compliment or polite statement. It means ‘I feel the same
way’.

A recap of the language

I don’t mean to interrupt. Have you met…? Nice to meet you.
I just wanted to introduce myself. I don’t believe we’ve met before. It’s a pleasure to meet you.
I’d like to introduce you to… I don’t think we’ve actually met Very nice to meet you.
There’s someone I’d like you to formally yet. Likewise.
meet… Pleased to meet you.

GREETINGS AND FOLLOW-UPS

What does Jane say after the initial greeting?

Matt and Jane

Alright Matt! How’s it going?
Yeah, no trouble. How about you - alright?
Yeah, not bad! I haven’t seen you for ages!
No, no – I’ve been busy…

Jane says ‘I haven’t seen you for ages!’ which means ‘I haven’t seen you for a very long time!’
You could also say things like, ‘it’s been a long time!’ or ‘I can’t believe it’s been so long!’

What does Neil ask Carrie after they’ve both greeted each other?

Neil and Carrie

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Hello, Carrie! You alright?
Oh, hi Neil! Yeah, I’m fine thanks. How are you?
Great, what’ve you been up to?

‘what’ve you been up to?’ quite an informal phrase, which means ‘what have you been doing?’
Obviously, he’s not expecting full details of everything Carrie has been doing, but it’s a
friendly way of making conversation. Carrie responds to his questionwith quite a vague answer.

Neil and Carrie

Great, what’ve you been up to?
This and that, you know!

‘This and that,’ Carrie says, which means ‘various different things’. It doesn’t really answer Neil’s
question,– they’re just chatting in a friendly way.

Matt and Jane

Hey Jane, how’re you doing?
Good thanks, and you?
Yeah, not bad, not bad. What are you up to?
Oh, this and that…just the usual! What about you?

Jane responds with ‘this and that’ and then she uses the phrase ‘just the usual’ – a way of saying
nothing new or different from what she normally does.

What does Neil ask Carrie this time, after he’s asked her how she is?

Carrie and Neil

Alright Carrie, how are you?
Yeah, I’m fine Neil, how you going?
Yeah, very well. What are you doing around here?
Oh, I was just popping into the shop down the road there.

‘What are you doing round here?’ A nice informal and conversational question you can ask when
you see someone somewhere you weren’t expecting to see them. Carrie responds by saying she was
just ‘popping into a shop’, which is an informal way of saying ‘going to a shop’.

Carrie and Neil

What are you doing around here?
Oh, I was just popping into the shop down the road there.

Sometimes people comment on each others’ appearance – though usually only if they are talking to
someone they know well.

Sandra and Abigail

Hi Sandra! How are you?
Good thanks!
Your hair looks great!
Oh, thank you! And I love your dress!

Another thing people often do is talk about their surroundings.

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I really like this pub.
It’s a lovely hotel, isn’t it?

Transport and how people got to wherever they are is also a popular one.
Hi, lovely to see you. Did you come here by car?

Hi John!
Matt! Good to see you! How was the journey?

And of course, there’s one topic of conversation we haven’t looked at yet but which we can’t
possibly forget to mention is that very British favourite…
It’s lovely weather today, isn’t it?
What awful weather we’re having!
Isn’t all this sunshine great!
It’s turned very cold suddenly, hasn’t it?

A recap of the language

You could talk about how long it’s been since you last saw the person.I haven’t seen you for ages!

You can ask them what they’ve been doing or what they are doing. What’ve you been up to?/What
are you up to? /What are you doing around here?

And a couple of the responses we looked at…Oh, this and that…/ Just the usual!

You could comment on your surroundings. This house is gorgeous!

Or ask the person if the journey to meet you was ok. How was the traffic?

You can talk about the weather. It’s a lovely day, today.

And with people you know well, you could also say something nice about their appearance.
Your hair looks great!

HOW TO SAY GOODBYE

Let’s take a trip to the pub, imagine Alex is with friends. It’s getting late and Alex decides he wants
to go home.
Right then, I suppose it’s time I made a move!

It’s time I made a move is a way of saying it’s time for me to go. He starts the sentence with right
then. Right then is a way of getting attention and often signals that thespeaker is about to do
something or make a suggestion… Right then, it’s time to go! / Right then! Let’s go shopping!

There are several other expressions you could use which also serve as a way of getting attention,
which you could use before you want to announce that you’re leaving.

Well, I suppose it’s time I made a move!

OK, I suppose it’s time we made a move!
All right guys, I suppose it’s time to make a move!

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Anyway, I suppose it’s time I made a move!
Right, I’m going to make a move! See you later!

See you later is an expression we hear very often when friends or colleagues say goodbye to each
other, generally when they’re going to see each other quite soon.
See you later guys!
That’s me finished for the day. See you all tomorrow, everybody!
See you tonight!
Alright, well, I’ll see you on Monday.
See you at the party!

What expression does Callum use to say he’s leaving?

Right guys, I’m off, I’ll see you later!

I’m off, which is another, quite informal, way of saying you’re going.
Right, lovely to see you all – I’m off now, bye!
OK, I’m off! See you tomorrow!
Right, that’s me off, guys! [That’s me off – a variation on I’m off.]

Another thing you might do when saying goodbye is showing pleasure at having see the person.
It’s been lovely seeing you.
Right, lovely to see you all. I’m off now, bye!
Good to see you again!
Nice to see you!

It’s been nice to catch up. If it’s someone you haven’t seen for a while
Well, I’m going to have to go but it’s been great to catch up.
Nice to catch up with you again and I’ll see you soon!

And it’s always nice to wish people a pleasant time.

Nice to see you, have a good night!
Bye James, have a good day!
All right, well, have a good weekend!

If you’ve been someone’s guest, it is of course normal to thank them.

Andrew, thanks, it’s been a lovely evening.
Thank you very much but we must be off,we have to catch a train… um, thanks again for a lovely
evening!
Thanks it’s been a lovely evening, but I ought to think about heading home soon.
Thanks again for all that lovely food and you must come over to ours some time!

It would be considered quite rude if you had had food or drink at someone’s house and then just
said good bye without thanking them for it. So the kinds of phrases we heard in those examples are
always useful to know
It’s been a lovely evening.
Thank you for the lovely food.
Thank you for a lovely time, it was really nice.

Another set of expressions that you might find useful is language for leaving in a hurry…

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I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to dash! I’ve just realised I’m gonna miss my train if I don’t go now, but
I’ll see you later - bye bye!
Is that the time! I’ve gotta go!
I’m really sorry, but I’m gonna have to dash off to catch my train.
Sorry to have to leave so soon, but otherwise I’m gonna miss my train - must dash!
Cheerio!

I must dash or I’m going to have to dash – an informal way of saying you’re going to
have to leave quickly. We also heard I’ve gotta go! All the people also
apologised: I’m sorry to have to leave so soon; I’m sorry I’m gonna
have to dash

CONVERSATION PRACTICE

Greet your FRIEND Michael, you met on the hotel elevator where you are going to attend a
conference (three different ways). Talk about the surroundings and if the journey to the hotel was
ok.Ask how he got there (by car or bus ). When saying goodbye shows pleasure at having see the
person.

It´s 3pm. Greet your client at a hotel.

Greet your friend John , you met at a restaurant . You haven’t seen him for a while. You are
leaving in a hurry to get the train

Greet a VIP professor who is going to give a lecture at UFRJ.You met him for the first time.

Greet Mr Balme, the director of a research program

You and Monica are both at the same party. You’ve met a couple of times before, but haven’t seen
each other for a while.You weren’t expecting to see her (three different ways)

You are at a conference. You want to introduce yourself to Mr Balme. As you approach him, he is
talking to someone else.

Professor Jackson is the head of a scientific journal. You want to introduce yourself to him. You
know who he is, but he hasn’t met you yet.

Introduce Mrs Sacks to Professor Jones

You met Mike and Susan but you aren’t expecting to see them. They are going to a shop. Say
goodbye

You are with friends at a restaurant. It’s getting late and you decide to go home.

You’ve been Mike’s guest, say goodbye and thank him.

Adapted from How to… © BBC Learning English 2007BBC Learning English bbclearningenglish.com