Different Ways to Say Hello

Tap to Read ➤ Shalu Bhatti

Hello is probably the first word while starting a friendly conversation. There are different ways to say hello depending on the kind of relationship you share with the person you are greeting. Take the opportunity to learn some of the most famous greeting in the world in many different ways.

" We learned a few words, the basics, like hello and goodbye. We learned to use chopsticks. It's not as hard as it looks. " ~ Casey Hamilton

This life gives us so many opportunities to meet different people and interact with them. Especially as internet users, we all come across people from different cultures and backgrounds. Learning different languages, or at least the different ways to say hello, proves to be of great benefit, don't you think?

Hello is the first greeting that helps us start a verbal interaction with a person who is new to us.

The point to be kept in mind is that the kind of hello we receives from others, also helps us understand the kind of relationship that the person wants with us, a formal one, or a friendly one!

Ways to Say Hello in English

Did you know that the word "Hello" was first authenticated in 1846. It is derived from the words like holla and hollo which were used as greetings in ancient days. Thomas Edison is often given the credit for giving the word a global recognition as the word is a coinage for telephonic usage.

Formal Ways of Saying Hello

English is the only one language which is spoken in each and every part of the world. In fact, English language is the only language that is spoken between people with no similar geographical or cultural backgrounds. Hello is that one word which has no offensive interpretation whatsoever. We can't share an informal vibe with people we don't know.

Good day How are you? Depending on the time of the day, you can greet a person using greetings like, Good morning, Good afternoon, or Good evening. How are you doing today? Glad to meet you / glad to see you / glad to hear from you.

Informal Ways of Saying Hello

Unlike formal ways of saying hello, which is usually the case in official interactions, informal ways of saying hello indicate more of a friendly approach towards socializing with a stranger. See how you can greet a person in an informal way in the English language.

Hey Hi Hiya How's it going? Howdy Ey up Wassup / what's up Yo Sup Howzit

Ways to Say Hello in Spanish

Spanish is another beautiful language that most of the people wish to learn because they are so influenced by the rich culture of Spain, including the music and the dancing.

When it comes to Spanish language spoken in Spain and Latin America, the difference in the culture is reflected in the way people are greeted. Just go through the different ways of greeting in Spanish.

¡Buenos días!: The beginning of an inverted exclamation mark means the beginning of an exclamation and using the normal exclamation mark at the end of the word shows the end.

Coming to the meaning of the words, Bueno means 'good', therefore buenos is the plural form of the word good. Día means day, therefore días means 'many days'. Therefore, Buenos días means Good day!

¡Buenas tardes!: This means Good afternoon. Unlike many countries where the greeting changes from 'good morning' to 'good afternoon' as the clock strikes 12 noon, in Spain, people change the greeting after mid afternoon.

Don't get confused regarding the time change from mid afternoon to the evening. The good news is that good afternoon in Spanish is the same as good evening, ¡Buenas tardes! :)

¡Buenas noches!: This means Good night , which is also a way to say hello around 8 in the evening. Like how in English we say good night while bidding farewell in the evening, similarly, in Spain, ¡Buenas noches!, is also used to bid farewell.

Here are different ways of saying hello in Spanish: ¡Buenas! / ¡Muy buenas! ¡Hola! ... is an informal way to say hello and is pronounced as ' Ola ', the 'H' is silent. Over the phone, the Spanish people residing in Spain say ¡Digame! which means "speak to me". However, in Latin America, they greet the caller by saying ¡aló! , which is hello in Spanish accent.

Ways to Say Hello in French

You can say hello in different ways, in French too. The kind of greeting depends upon the situation (formal or informal), how the other person has greeted you, and of course, the nature of relationship that you share with the person. When it comes to the French language, observing their social customs is another important aspect that one should consider.

Bonjour!: Pronounced as "bohn zhoor", this is a standard greeting that is followed among the French. Bonjour means good day and is mostly used in the morning. Bon après midi: Pronounced as "buhn ah pray mee dee", this means good afternoon and is used as a formal greeting.

Bon soir: Pronounced as "buhn swahr", this means good evening and again, is used as a formal greeting. Comment vous allez vous?: This is again a formal greeting which means, " How are you? " in French. Salut!: Pronounced as " sah loo ", this is an informal way to say hello..., more like a 'hi' in English!

Allô: Pronounced as " ah lo ", it's a telephonic greeting that is used when answering the telephone. Hé: Pronounced as ' ay ', this greeting is used when one is trying to attract someone's attention to ask something. Ça va?: Pronounced as " sah vah ", this greeting is used in an informal situation meaning how's it going?

They say that the first impression is always the last impression. The way you greet a person who is unknown to you creates a true reflection of your personality!

Here's a quote to conclude this write-up, " To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others. " Adios!