Good morning - until lunch-time (12 p.m.) /formal/ Good afternoon - until 6 p.m. /formal/ Good evening - until 10-11 p.m. /formal/ Morning, Afternoon (neutral). Evening Hello (neutral or informal). Hi (very colloquial).
Greeting
Follow-up enquiry
Reply
formal/neutral
(Good) morning.
(Good) afternoon.
(Good) evening.
How are you (keeping)?
(I'm) /very, fairly, quite well Thank you And (how are ) you?
informal
Hello.
How are you getting on?
Fine /thank you, thanks /
Hi.
How are things with you?
How have things been?
How's life?
Is everything all right / Okay?
Not /too, so/ bad / Can't complain, thanks. All right/
Ok thanks. A bit tired, otherwise all right. And you?
Not very/too well, I am afraid I am afraid /I'm not feeling very well today. I've got rather a bad cold.
Oh dear. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get better soon.
It's very /nice, good/ to see you again. (formal or neutral) I'm very pleased to see you again. Good/Nice/ Great to see you. (informal)
I'm very pleased to meet you again. pleased/good to meet you again (informal.)
It's nice/good to see you too.
It's very nice to meet you again (formal or neutral).
It's good/ nice to meet you too.
e.g.
1. A: Hello, Mr. Larson, I don't know if you remember me. David Hamilton, we met at… B: Of course! It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Hamilton. A: Are you taking part in this seminar? B: No, actually, I'm over here for the Trade Fair.
2. A: Hello, Ann. B: Hello, David. This is a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you were going to be here. A: Neither did I. Mike Parker was due to come, but he couldn't manage it, so I'm here instead. B: I see. Well, it's nice to see you again, Ann. It's been a long time. How are things back home? A: Pretty good. The autumn was a bit slow, but things are looking up. And you, David? B: I'm fine, thanks.
3. A: Hi, David. B: Sven. Great to see you again. You are looking well. A: Yes, I'm fine. A bit tired though. I've just got back from the States yesterday. B: Really? How did it go? A: The trip? B: Yes. A: Interesting, not that I saw much, you know what business trips are like. But what about you and the family? I haven't seen you for well over six months. Are you all well? B: Very well, thank you.
Practice 3.1.
Ex.3.2.Complete the dialogue below between two colleagues with the suggested phrases. Follow the notes on the right.
Good to see you again. And yourself? How are you enjoying your new job? What about you? It's been a long time. How's everything going? Nice to see you again. How's the new job going? How are you? I haven't seen you since last year.
Dialogue
Notes
A: Hello, David. B: Hello, Pierre ___________________________________________ A: Okay. We've been extremely busy with the tests and it looks as if it's going to continue._____________________ ____________________ B: Okay, so far. Everything's going very smoothly and I'm enjoying my work there.
Great him, you haven't seen him for a while. Add a general enquiry.
Redirect the conversation back to David.You have heard he has been transferred to some other department. Ask about the job.
Ex.3.3.Make your response following the instructions.
1. You have just been introduced to an American visitor, Mr. Oliver. Greet him. 2. You have just arrived at work. Greet a colleague of yours, Mary O'Brien. 3. A colleague of yours, Tony Blake, has just got back from a business trip. Greet him and enquire about the trip. 4. You are meeting Tom Grey at the airport. Greet him and enquire about the flight. 5. You have just met an ex-colleague of yours, Jane Marsh. She was transferred to another department a few months ago, and you haven't seen her since then. Greet her and enquire about the new job. 6. The wife of a friend of yours has had to go into hospital - you know them both very well. Enquire about her health.
Presentation 3.2. Small talk: Entertaining guests
3.2.1. Invitations
formal or neutral
informal
I was wondering if you would like to…? Would you like to…? Would you be interested in …ing? Can I invite you to …?
Why don't you …?
Why not …?
What/How about …ing!
Shall we …? Let's … . I think we could … .
