Lesson

Greetings

Formal and informal greetings

≈ 15 min 8 block(s)

Text

Greetings

Greetings are short expressions we use to start conversations and establish tone. They vary by formality, context (in person, phone, email), time of day, and relationship between speakers.

  • Use formal greetings for meetings, interviews and clients.
  • Use informal greetings with colleagues you know well.
  • Choose greetings that suit the medium: email, phone, or face-to-face.

Table

Common Greetings and Uses

Expression Use/Context Example
Good morning Formal; mornings; meetings Good morning. Welcome to the quarterly review.
Hello Neutral; all contexts Hello, I'm Sarah from HR.
Hi Informal; colleagues and casual meetings Hi, do you have a minute?
Nice to meet you / Pleased to meet you First-time introductions; formal/informal Pleased to meet you. I've heard a lot about your team.
How are you? Polite opener; follow with small talk in person or email How are you? I hope your trip went well.
Good afternoon Formal; afternoon meetings Good afternoon. Thank you for joining the call.
Good evening Formal; evening events Good evening. We appreciate your time tonight.
How do you do? Very formal, traditional (rare in modern business) How do you do? I'm the new operations manager.

Tip

Key rule: Match formality to context

Always match your greeting to the situation and medium.

  • Formal written: use 'Dear Mr. / Ms. + surname' or 'Good morning' in meeting openings.
  • Neutral spoken: 'Hello' is safe for most professional contexts.
  • Informal: 'Hi' is fine with colleagues you know well; avoid in first meetings.

When in doubt, choose a slightly more formal greeting.

Example

Examples in context

Good morning. Thank you for joining today's meeting.

Hello, I'm Michael from finance. Nice to meet you.

Hi everyone — quick update before we start.

Pleased to meet you. I've read your report on logistics.

Tip

Common mistakes to avoid

Learners often make small but impactful errors when greeting others. Watch for these.

  • Using overly casual slang in formal situations (e.g., 'Yo' or 'What's up?').
  • Starting with a question without a greeting ('How are you?' instead of 'Hello, how are you?').
  • Using the wrong time-of-day greeting ('Good morning' in the evening).
  • Forgetting to introduce your name or role in first meetings.

A correct greeting sets a professional tone for the conversation.

Quiz

Choose the most appropriate greeting for a formal morning meeting with clients:

Hint: Consider both formality and time of day.

Quiz

Complete: _____, I'm Karen from sales.

Hint: Choose a neutral greeting suitable for first introductions.

Quiz

In a professional email, which reply to 'How are you?' is most appropriate?

Hint: Choose the most polite and complete response.

Key Points

Vocabulary

greeting

noun CEFR A2 //ˈɡriːtɪŋ//

a word or phrase used to say hello or welcome someone

A polite greeting makes a good first impression.

Expression

Good morning

expression CEFR A1 //ɡʊd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ//

a formal or neutral greeting used in the morning

Good morning. Let's begin the presentation.

Vocabulary

Hello

interjection CEFR A1 //həˈloʊ//

a neutral greeting suitable for most contexts

Hello, I'm calling about the invoice.

Expression

Pleased to meet you

expression CEFR B1 //pliːzd tuː miːt juː//

a polite phrase used when meeting someone for the first time

Pleased to meet you. I've admired your work for years.

Expression

How are you?

expression CEFR A2 //haʊ ɑːr juː//

a polite question used to ask about someone's well-being

How are you? I hope you had a good trip.

GrammarPoint

small talk

noun CEFR B1 //smɔːl tɔːk//

light, informal conversation about non‑essential topics used to build rapport

Use small talk to warm up the conversation before discussing business.