English Greetings: Formal and Informal

Quick Answer: Formal English greetings are Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening and Nice to meet you; informal ones are Hi, Hey, How's it going? and What's up? Use formal greetings with strangers, customers and at work, and informal greetings with friends and family. Good night is a goodbye, never a greeting.

Key takeaways

• Good morning is used until about 12:00, Good afternoon until about 18:00, and Good evening after that.
• Good night means goodbye or before bed. To greet someone in the evening, say Good evening.
• Answer How are you? briefly (I'm fine, thanks) and always ask back: And you?
• Say Nice to meet you at the start of a first meeting and It was nice meeting you at the end.
• The reply to How do you do? is the same phrase, not I'm fine.
• In emails, use Dear for formal messages and Hi only for people you know.

What are the formal greetings in English?

Use these at work, with customers, teachers, officials, or people you do not know.

Greeting	Time / situation	Example
Good morning	Until about 12:00	Good morning, Ms. Lee.
Good afternoon	About 12:00 to 18:00	Good afternoon, how can I help you?
Good evening	After about 18:00	Good evening, welcome to the hotel.
Hello	Any time, neutral	Hello, my name is Daniel Park.
Nice to meet you	First meeting	It's a pleasure to meet you.
How do you do?	Very formal first meeting	How do you do? (reply: How do you do?)

"How do you do?" is old-fashioned and mostly British. It is not really a question, so the correct reply is the same phrase, not "I'm fine". Today most people simply say "Nice to meet you".

Important: "Good night" is not a greeting. It means goodbye at night or before sleep. A hotel receptionist says "Good evening" when you arrive and "Good night" when you go up to your room.

What are the informal greetings in English?

Use these with friends, family, classmates and colleagues you know well.

• Hi - the most common casual greeting.
• Hey - very casual. In American English, "Hey" is friendly and normal.
• Morning! - a short version of "Good morning".
• How's it going? - means "How are you?"
• How are you doing? - friendly and common.
• What's up? - very informal, especially in American English.
• Long time no see! - when you have not seen someone for a long time.
• Hiya - informal British, especially in northern England.

How do you answer common greeting questions?

In English, "How are you?" is often a ritual. People expect a short, positive answer, then the same question back.

Question	Natural answers
How are you?	I'm fine, thanks. And you? / I'm good, thanks. You?
How's it going?	Pretty good. / Not bad, thanks.
What's up?	Not much. / Nothing much, you?
How have you been?	I've been great, thanks. / Busy, but good.
Nice to meet you.	Nice to meet you too. / You too.

Grammar note: "I'm good" is very common in conversation, especially in American English. Some teachers prefer "I'm well", but both are acceptable in everyday speech.

Example dialogues:

Formal

• A: Good afternoon. I'm Sarah Collins from the marketing team.
• B: Good afternoon, Sarah. Nice to meet you. I'm Kemal.
• A: Nice to meet you too.

Informal

• A: Hey Jake! How's it going?
• B: Not bad! What's up with you?
• A: Not much, just going to class.

Introducing yourself and others

• "Hi, I'm Mia." (informal)
• "Hello, my name is Mia Torres." (neutral to formal)
• "This is my friend Leo." (introducing someone)
• "Let me introduce you to my manager, Mr. Grant." (formal)

When someone introduces you, reply with "Nice to meet you" or "Hi, good to meet you".

Saying goodbye

Formal	Informal
Goodbye.	Bye! / Bye-bye.
Have a good day.	See you! / See ya.
It was nice meeting you.	Catch you later.
I look forward to seeing you again.	Take care!
Good night. (at night)	Night!

"It was nice meeting you" is for the end of a first meeting. "Nice to meet you" is for the start.

Greetings in emails, messages and phone calls

In emails, greetings change a little:

• Formal: Dear Mr. Brown, / Dear Hiring Manager,
• Neutral: Hello Anna,
• Informal: Hi Anna, / Hey Anna,

On the phone, people usually answer with "Hello?" at home, or with their name and company at work: "Good morning, Bright Design, Laura speaking." For more, read English for phone calls and our list of business email phrases.

Are British and American greetings different?

Most greetings are the same in both varieties. A few small differences:

• "Alright?" or "You alright?" is a casual greeting in the UK. It means "Hi, how are you?", not "Are you okay?". The answer is often just "Yeah, alright, you?"
• "Cheers" can mean "thanks" or "bye" in British English.
• "What's up?" and "Hey" are especially common in the US.

See British vs American English for more differences.

What mistakes do learners make with greetings?

1. Saying "Good night" when you arrive. Say "Good evening".
2. Giving a long health report to "How are you?" with a stranger. Keep it short.
3. Forgetting to ask back. Always add "And you?"
4. Using "Hey" in a formal email. Use "Dear" or "Hello".
5. Saying "Nice to meet you" to an old friend. Say "Nice to see you" or "Good to see you".

Practice: formal or informal?

Decide whether each greeting is formal (F) or informal (I).

1. What's up?
2. Good afternoon, sir.
3. Long time no see!
4. It's a pleasure to meet you.
5. Hey, how's it going?

Answers: 1. I 2. F 3. I 4. F 5. I

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People Also Ask

What is the most formal greeting in English?

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening are the standard formal greetings. In very formal first meetings you can add How do you do?, although it is less common today.

How should I answer How are you?

A short positive answer is normal: I'm fine, thanks, or I'm good, thanks. Then return the question with And you? It is usually a polite ritual, not a request for details.

Is Good night a greeting?

No. Good night is only used when you leave in the evening or go to bed. To greet someone in the evening, say Good evening.

What does What's up mean?

What's up is a very informal greeting that means roughly How are you? or What's new? Common replies are Not much or Nothing much, you?

Related Reading

• 50 Common English Phrases for Beginners
• How to Make Small Talk in English
• American English Expressions
• English for Phone Calls