WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU MEET A FOREIGN FRIEND?

[梁復基]

Compiled by Leung Fook Kay, Peter (Login member name: Liang Fu Ji)

Meeting and greeting people

To people you know or don’t know
1 A: Good morning/afternoon/evening/night.
B: Good morning/afternoon/evening/night.
(Usually we say, ‘Good night’ before leaving somebody at night time to go to bed.)

To people you meet the first time.
2 A: How do you do?
B: How do you do?

To people you already know.
3 A: What’s up?
B: Not much. / Nothing.
4 A: Hi! (Hi there!)
B: Hi! (Hi there!)
5 A: Hello! (Hello there!)
B: Hello! (Hello there!)
6 A: Hello/Hi! Is everything alright?
7. A: Are you OK?
8. A: Are you all right?
9. A: Hi, how are you?
10. A: Hi, how are you doing?
11. A: Hi, how are things going?
12. A: Hi, how is your recent life?
13. A: Hi, how is your work?
14. A: Hi, how do you find your work/studies/life here?

To ALL the above greetings, B can say: Fine, thanks. (And you?)
(Or: Not very well; ... Then B should go on to say why. For example: I caught a cold yesterday.)
(No.1 -5 are always used among peers who know one another well. A senior may use No. 6 - 14 to greet a junior.)

Exercise 1
(1) You are A. Your friend is B. You use the greetings listed above at random to greet B. B is to return your greetings properly without looking at the list.

(2) You are B. Your friend is A. A uses the greetings listed above at random to greet you. You are to return his/her greetings properly without looking at the list.

Exercise 2
(1) You are the supervisor, A. Your friend, B is a junior staff. You use the greetings listed above at random to greet B. B is to return your greetings properly without looking at the list.

(2) Your friend, A is the supervisor. You are B, a junior staff. A uses the greetings listed above at random to greet you. You are to return his/her greetings properly without looking at the list.