When you meet someone, you start with a greeting. The time of day can change which greeting you use. For example, “Good morning” is perfect for the start of the day, but you wouldn’t use it at night.

Here are some of the most common ways to say hello in English.

When you leave, you say goodbye. Just like greetings, there are different ways to do this.

After you say hello, the next step is to introduce yourself. The easiest way is to say “My name is…” or “I’m…” followed by your name. It’s polite to also say something like “Nice to meet you.”

To ask for someone else's name, you can say, “What’s your name?”

Let’s look at a short conversation.

Once you know each other's names, you can continue the conversation with a few simple questions. A very common question is “How are you?” This is a friendly way to ask about someone's well-being.

Another typical question is about where a person is from. You can ask, “Where are you from?” To answer, you say, “I’m from…” and name your country or city.

Let’s add these questions to our conversation.

A quick cultural tip: In the United States and the United Kingdom, it's common to greet people with a smile and a handshake, especially when meeting for the first time in a formal or business setting. Among friends, greetings are much more casual.

Now, let's test what you've learned.