Simple Greetings: Different Ways of Saying HELLO and GOODBYE in English, Level A1-A2

Vary your vocabulary and learn different ways of saying HELLO and GOODBYE in English!

Hi, and welcome to this lesson! This is a beginner level lesson (A1-A2). Its aim is to teach you how to greet someone in many different ways.

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to say HELLO and GOODBYE in English using varied vocabulary.

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Below is a quick dialogue that you can read offline.

• Dialogue (Interesting Ways of Saying HELLO and GOODBYE in English)

Step 1 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Saying Simple Greetings

These are simple and quick greetings. Most of them are informal greetings.

You use them with family members, friends or people you are familiar with.

Examples:

1. Hi Maria, how are you today?
2. Hello class! Are you fine today?
3. Hi Luca, what’s up?
4. Hello Martin, how’s it going?
5. Hi, I’m Thandi. What’s up?
6. Hey everybody, how are things?
7. What’s up guys? How’s it going?
8. Hello, how are you this morning?
9. Hello James, so how’s life?
10. Hey there, how’s it going?

Your Turn: Make 5 simple sentences in which you greet someone. Think of 5 different people! Enjoy!

Many Seconds Later: Good job! Now, let’s move on to the Step 2.

Step 2 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Responding to Greetings

Now you know how to greet someone in a simple way. In this new part of the lesson, you will learn how to respond to those simple greetings.

Let’s start!

Examples:

Simple Greetings	Simple Answers
Hi Maria, how are you today?	Hi Jane, I’m fine, thank you! How are you?
Hello class! Are you fine today?	Hello teacher! We are fine, thank you!
Hi Luca, what’s up?	Hi Peter, nothing special!
Hello Martin, how’s it going?	Hello James, pretty fine, thank you!
Hi Mary, it’s Thandi calling. What’s up?	Hi Thandi, thanks for calling. I’m good.
Hey everybody, how are things?	Hey Victoria, it’s good to see you. Not bad!
What’s up guys? How’s it going?	Hi dude, what a surprise! Fine, we’re good.
Hello, how are you this morning?	Hello, we are all right, thanks!
Hello James, so how’s life?	Hello Patrick, life’s good. What about you?
Hey there, how’s it going?	Hey Jack, everything is cool. How about you?
Hi Esther, what’s cooking?	Hi Jennifer, we’re planning to go out.

It’s easy, isn’t it? I’m sure you are going to have good fun with all this vocabulary!

Your Turn: Try to make 5 sentences in which you answer someone who is trying to greet you.

You can be as creative as you want! Good luck!

Many Seconds Later: How about going to Step 3? Here we go!

Step 3 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Saying Simple Goodbyes

We have done so many things already! However, we still have a long way to go but wait a minute!

It’s not time to go yet! It’s not the right time to say goodbye!

When you want to say goodbye, you can use the expressions above or below.

Examples:

1. Bye Jane! See you later!
2. Goodbye class! See you tomorrow!
3. It’s time to go. Goodbye!
4. Bye-bye! I’ll see you tomorrow at 10.
5. I have to go now. See you this evening!
6. Bye John! Until later!
7. Goodbye everyone! See you next time.
8. Farewell for now. I hope we meet each other again soon.
9. See you on Saturday! Take care until then!
10. Goodbye my friend. You’re the best. I can’t wait to see you again.

Do you often say goodbye in English? What do you usually say? Do you use some of the expressions above?

Your Turn: Make 5 sentences in which you say goodbye to someone. Create as many situations as you can. Imagine you are saying goodbye to a friend or a family member. Be imaginative!

Many Seconds Later: Well, I’m happy you created those 5 sentences. What about going to Step 4. I can’t wait to get there!

Step 4 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Saying Sweet Goodbyes

This is when you have to say goodbye to someone you really love. I hope you don’t have to do this often!

It can be quite sad and painful to see someone you really like go away.

At least we have some sweet words to say in English. Below are a few expressions.

Examples:

1. Bye-bye my dear. Take care!
2. I have to say goodbye now but we’ll see each other soon.
3. Bye for now. See you later.
4. Goodbye my sweetheart. Have a nice day.
5. Farewell my dearest. Don’t forget to call me when you reach home.
6. Bye honey. I’ll miss you.
7. Goodbye honeypie. I can’t wait to see you next week.
8. Bye sweetheart. I love you.
9. Bye babe. You’re the best. I’ll text you when I get some free time.
10. Farewell dear. It was lovely to see you again.

Do you have to say goodbye to someone you love frequently? What do you usually say?

Your Turn: Get creative and make 5 sentences in which you say goodbye to someone you love. This can be a lover, a very good friend or a family member. Have fun!

Many Seconds Later: Did you have fun doing this? I hope you did. Yet, now it’s time to go to Step 5. Let’s not waste some time. Let’s go!

Step 5 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Saying Quick Goodbyes

It looks like we have to say goodbye often. Here are more ways to take leave of someone.

These are more informal expressions. You usually use them with your friends!

Let’s take a look at them!

Examples:

1. I’m off! See ya!
2. I gotta go! See ya!
3. Ciao! See you later!
4. Bye! Catch ya later!
5. Adios. See ya!
6. Ciao! Talk to ya later!
7. Bye! See you on the flip side!
8. I’m off! Catch ya on the flip side!
9. Adieu. Until we meet again.
10. Ciao! I’ll call you later!

Wow! So many things to say! So many ways to say Hello and Goodbye! How about you? What can you say in these situations? Get creative!

Your Turn: Imagine 5 sentences in which you say goodbye to someone in a quick and cool way. I’m sure that you’ve been inspired by the examples you saw! Get creative! Get really creative!

Many Seconds Later: Were you able to come up with some creative sentences? I hope you did! If you didn’t, you can still make some cool sentences in Step 6. Are you ready?

Step 6 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Saying Sad Goodbyes

Unfortunately sometimes we have to say very sad goodbyes to people we love. In these cases, we need to say more in order to show the other person that we care.

Do you have to say sad goodbyes to people you love often? What do you say to express your love?

If you don’t know what to say, don’t worry. Let’s look at the examples below.

Examples:

1. Goodbye my dear. I won’t forget you.
2. Goodbye and good luck! I will always think about you.
3. Bye my dear. I miss you already.
4. Farewell my dearest. It’s too painful to say goodbye to you.
5. I love you. Take care!
6. I can’t bear it but I guess I have to say goodbye.
7. What a pity to see you go! Goodbye my dearest.
8. Goodbye for now. I surely won’t forget you.
9. Take care my dear and don’t forget me!
10. It’s time to say our goodbyes but we’ll see each other soon.

Oh, it’s really sad to see someone go. When we say such goodbyes, we have to say the right words. Do you have the right words to say in such situations?

Your Turn: Make 5 sentences in which you have to say a sad goodbye to someone. Think carefully of what you need to say. Take care!

Many Seconds Later: That wasn’t easy, was it? I hope you were able to create something. As for now, let’s move on to Step 7. We surely deserve it!

Step 7 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Refusing to Say Goodbye

Sometimes we are so sad to see the other person go that we don’t want them to go at all!

What do you say in such situations?

Let’s look at a few examples.

Examples:

1. Are you really leaving now. I’m sad to see you go.
2. Don’t go away. I can’t stand it.
3. The time to say goodbye has come but I can’t say it. Don’t go, please.
4. I want to see you so I won’t let you go.
5. This is really a sad time for me. Won’t you stay?
6. Don’t leave me. Please stay.
7. Stay with me, I can’t bear it to see you go.
8. You are the love of my life. Don’t go.
9. I won’t be able to bear it. Don’t go. Stay, please.
10. My heart is breaking. I will be more than happy to see you stay.

Heart-breaking, isn’t it? Have you ever had to deal with such a situation? Well, I hope you managed to say goodbye. It’s not easy; I know.

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you refuse to say goodbye to someone. Make the sentences as moving as possible, if you can.

Many Seconds Later: I hope this exercise wasn’t too difficult for you. Do you feel like going to Step 8? Let’s go when we can.

Step 8 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Saying Definite Goodbyes

Sometimes, there is no possibility to see the other person again. It may be because the other person is going to a place that is very far away. Death can also rob us of someone.

What can we say in such situations? Let’s look at a few examples.

Examples:

1. Goodbye my friend. I am happy to have called you a friend.
2. Godspeed, my dear. I will always remember you.
3. You were the love of my life. Until we meet again.
4. Fare thee well. May you sing among the angels.
5. Goodbye for now. We shall meet again.
6. Farewell my dearest. I truly loved you but God loved you the most.
7. Goodbye my friend. Your light shines on even though you are gone.
8. I never thought I would say goodbye this way. It’s a sad loss for all of us.
9. I am blessed to have known you as a friend. You are now a star among the stars.
10. A light has been extinguished on earth but it shines on in heaven. Fare thee well.

It’s not easy to say definite goodbyes to our loved ones. Have you ever lost someone in your life? What did you say to the person? If you couldn’t say anything, what did you imagine you could say to that person?

Your Turn: Make 3 sentences in which you have to say definite goodbyes to someone. Remember, you don’t have to if this exercise is too difficult. It’s difficult to imagine a permanent loss in one’s life. Take care!

Many Seconds Later: This was not definitely easy to do. Well done for trying and don’t worry iy you didn’t manage. You’ll do better next time. How about ending the lesson on a good note? Let’s see what’s coming next! Step 9!

Step 9 (Hello and Goodbye in English): Happy Goodbyes

Well, at least we don’t have to say sad goodbyes all the time. We know that life goes on, don’t we?

The best thing to remember our loved ones is to live well. We have to live our life to the fullest and enjoy every single day because we don’t know what might happen tomorrow!

Well, it’s almost time to say goodbye to you. It was nice to have you around!

Let’s look at a few examples where we say goodbye.

Examples:

1. Bye! Have a lovely time!
2. Bye-bye! Have a lovely time!
3. Well, go and enyoy yourself. You surely deserve it.
4. Now go have some fun, you lucky girl!
5. See you later! Take care my dearest! Don’t worry about me.
6. Love ya! You’re the best! Take care!
7. See you tomorrow at the mall. We’re going to have some fun.
8. I can’t wait to see you again. You’re such a good friend!
9. Wow, time flies when we’re having fun. Bye for now. I can’t wait to see you again!
10. I miss you already but I know I’m going to see you soon. Take care. I love you.

Happy goodbyes are easier to say, aren’t they? Do you say them often? I hope you do. In this lesson, I’m going to say a happy goodbye to you!

Your Turn: Make 5 sentences in which you say a happy goodbye to someone. Enjoy the process!

Well, it’s time for me to say goodbye to you. I was glad to be in your company! Take care and see you in the next lesson. Ciao!

Further Exploration: Different Ways of Saying Hello and Goodbye

Download PDF Files:

• Different Ways of Saying Hello and Goodbye, Learn English With Africa, October 2022, PDF
• Vocabulary Lesson: Different Ways of Saying Hello and Goodbye, Learn English With Africa, October 2022

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About the Author

Thandi Ngwira Gatignol is the founder of Learn English With Africa. She was born on June 11th, 1981 in Blantyre, Malawi. When she was 19, she left her country of birth for France. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband in Poland.

Thandi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English studies obtained at the Université Paris X Nanterre in France and a Certificate in Journalism from Malawi. She has taught English as a French Ministry of Education certified teacher both in France and in Poland. She speaks six languages fluently, including French, Polish and Italian. She is now learning Kiswahili, German and Spanish. Salt No More is her debut novel and you can find her other books here on the website or on Amazon.

Course Title: Simple Greetings: Different Ways of Saying HELLO and GOODBYE in English, Level A1-A2© Learn English With Africa, October 2022