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Greetings and farewells: hello, goodbye, Happy New Year

Saying hello​

When we see someone we know, we usually exchange greetings:

Good morning/afternoon/eveningHelloMorningHiHi theremore formalless formal

A: Hi.

B: Hello, how are you?

A: Fine, thanks. How about you?

Saying goodbye​

When we leave people, we usually say something as we leave:

Good nightGoodbyeBye byeByeSee you laterSee youmore formalless formal

A: See you later.

B: OK. Bye.

warning

We use Good night only when we are leaving someone at the end of the day, before going home or going to bed:

  • [leaving someone’s house]

  • Good night*. Thanks for a lovely evening.*

  • [before going to bed]

  • I’m off to bed. Good night.

Congratulating and celebrating​

We use different expressions for celebrations:

on special occasionsHappy New Year!Happy birthday!
to wish someone luck before an important eventGood luck!
to congratulate someoneWell done!Congratulations! (more formal)

We don’t say congratulations to wish someone a happy birthday:

  • Happy birthday*, Nora.*
  • Not: Congratulations, Nora.