- Hello
- Hi
- Good morning
- Good afternoon
- Good evening*
- Hey, John.
- How's it goin'?**
*Good night is a farewell (goodbye) phrase. It is NOT a greeting to use at night time.
**Native speakers often shorten "going" to "goin" in casual greetings.
greeting (noun): saying hello; a polite word of welcome
greet (verb): to say hello; to welcome somebody
(The opposite of greeting is farewell - saying goodbye.)
It is polite to greet a person you know. However, you don't always have time to stop and have a conversation. Just remember to smile as you say hello. A small wave is also polite. Sometimes you pass the same person a second time on the same day. You can say "hello again" or just smile.
