Saying hello
When we see someone we know, we usually exchange greetings:
| more formal less 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:
| more formal less formal |
A:See you later.
B:OK.Bye.
We useGood nightonly 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 occasions |
|
to wish someone luck before an important event |
|
to congratulate someone |
|
We don’t saycongratulationsto wish someone a happy birthday:
Happy birthday, Nora.
Not:Congratulations, Nora.