It’s the first word you learn in any new language, the basic sign of welcome that shows your intent to talk to someone. Most likely, you learned the basic English greetings before you even started investing time in your military cupid conversation language skills. But if you want to make the most of your first impression, there are a ton of more colourful ways to say “hello”.

Do you want to know the most professional way to greet colleagues on a video call? Some slang terms to begin a text to your little cousin? Or a specifically British-English “hello” to amuse the bus driver on your next trip to London? This ultimate list will guide you through the words and phrases to greet anyone in English with confidence.

Formal Greetings

Sometimes you need to use more formal or business language to keep a professional tone. Here are the most common situations when such greetings are necessary:

• job interview
• business meeting
• communicating with top management or CEO
• chatting with a new colleague
• having a conversation with clients
• showing respect to an older person
• speaking with someone you barely know

1. How do you do?

If you are looking for a VERY formal phrase for someone you meet for the first time, this one will be the most suitable. While this salutation is quite uncommon today, you can still hear it from older people.

“Hello. How do you do?” is perfect for a business dinner or a formal event, such as a conference. As per professional speech in every language, the most appropriate response is neutral or positive “I’m doing well thank you / Fine, thank you” to keep some distance, even if you are actually having a very bad day!

If used as a formal greeting, sometimes “How do you do” is, strangely, used as a statement rather than a question. This most often happens when shaking hands with someone for the first time. It is easy to hear if this is the case: there will be no inflection at the end of the sentence. In this instance, the correct response is to repeat the question back to the asker in the same flat tone, “How do you do?”

2. Nice to meet you / Pleased to meet you

This is one of the respectful greeting examples you can use replying to someone you meet for the very first time. For example:

• A: Good morning. I’m Alex White from [Company].
• B: Nice to meet you, Mr. White.

When people meet, it is a common practice to shake hands. A handshake generally lasts for a few seconds, which gives enough time to say “Pleased to meet you”.

3. How have you been?

This is a polite way to ask “ How are you? ” when you have not seen a person for a long time. Ask this question only if you have met someone before.

The best way to ensure that your greetings sound natural and confident is to practice them aloud, preferably with a fluent speaker to give you pointers. No-one to practice with? Find your perfect tutor.

4. Good Morning / Good Afternoon / Good Evening

These ways of greeting people are used at different times of the day. Whether you speak with a regular customer, colleagues or new neighbors, these phrases are effective to start the ball rolling.

The greetings change depending on the time of the day. For example, “Good morning” is generally used from 5:00 a.m. to p.m. whereas “Good afternoon” time is from p.m. to 6:00 p.m. “Good evening” is often used after 6 p.m. or when the sun goes down.