The art of a good greeting

[NATASHA]

When you greet or meat someone for the first time, it is important to be pronounced and casual at the same time. Greetings for strangers are different to greetings with friends and there is a big difference when it comes to colleagues at work.

Pleased to meet you"

Good afternoon Sir, Madam

These are formal greetings.

Casual ones would be "Hi" Hello, and in South african "Howsit!"

Which one do you use for slang in your country?

[zabina12]

We usually greet people here "Musta" which can be translated as "How Are You". As well as the common Hi and Hello is well used here too. When meeting someone new, it is commonly "Nice to meet you" or "Good to know you".

[Baburra]

I always liked the concept of bowing the most when it comes to greetings because it says a lot without having to do a lot. First off it shows respect by showing your peer the top of your head which shows you are lowering your defenses, and he great thing about it is that it's not as intrusive as a handshake wherein you are forced to touch a person even when you've only barely just met. Also I think it's a lot less awkward because you don't have to reach out and instead you could just keep within your own radius and still be able to greet properly. That's just my opinion though  I really wish more cultures just bowed instead.

[Rosa]

There are so many casual greeting slangs in my country because different areas use different slang. I'll therefore only mention a few.

    -Yow

    -What-up dwag?

    -Wa di pree

    -Wa happen

    -Wa you a say?

    -You good?

[celebritea]

For slang/casual greetings, the most common is probably "what's up?", "what's going on?" Or even "how ya doin'?" And of course "hey/hi"

More "street" terms are "what's good?", "what it do", and "yo" and "aye" instead of "hi/hey".

[NATASHA]

There are a number of ways to say hello in every country, slang or formal! In south africa howsit! is the most common one used for each nationality in the country. A word and greeting that everyone knows.

[sidney]

Over here in the Philippines, "musta" or "kamusta" can be used in formal or informal conversations. "Kamusta" means "How are you" in English.

[Baburra]

For slang/casual greetings, the most common is probably "what's up?", "what's going on?" Or even "how ya doin'?" And of course "hey/hi"

More "street" terms are "what's good?", "what it do", and "yo" and "aye" instead of "hi/hey".

What it do has always been very amusing for me for some reason. I don't know what it is about the phrase exactly but maybe it's just because it isn't grammatically correct and yet it sounds right and very fluid. Also I find it to be one of the most laid back ways you could greet someone.

[leahcim132]

In the place where I live we just say "Hello" or "Nice to meet you" and other generic greetings. We are not that polite here so the most common greeting is a simple "Hi". I wish my area was more polite though; I always do my best to be polite to everyone.

[Muthoni]

My country has so many tribes that speak so many languages; therefore it is always interesting when they greet you in their native languages. In my native language we greet someone by saying, wi mwega? This is asking someone if they are well. Slang is also very common with casual greetings like “sasa” which can be translated to how are you? There is another common greeting that can fit in any situation, “Habari Yako?”  This is translated to what is your situation? There are so many greetings that I can keep going on and on.

[JessiFox]

I always liked the concept of bowing the most when it comes to greetings because it says a lot without having to do a lot. First off it shows respect by showing your peer the top of your head which shows you are lowering your defenses, and he great thing about it is that it's not as intrusive as a handshake wherein you are forced to touch a person even when you've only barely just met. Also I think it's a lot less awkward because you don't have to reach out and instead you could just keep within your own radius and still be able to greet properly. That's just my opinion though  I really wish more cultures just bowed instead.

I agree completely! A much better way of greeting, I think.

Anyway, OP, I believe you were looking for the other "meet" . A lot of the time in everyday occasions I'm not very formal with my greetings- a simple hello, hi, how've you been?, etc. works just fine. In certain situations I'll stick with something more along the lines of your list.

[sidney]

What it do has always been very amusing for me for some reason. I don't know what it is about the phrase exactly but maybe it's just because it isn't grammatically correct and yet it sounds right and very fluid. Also I find it to be one of the most laid back ways you could greet someone.

Black people have always been grammatically incorrect, I think it's already part of their culture and I think they call it "Ebonics". I also like how they speak, it seems "cooler" and more hip, even the tone of  the voices of black women in general. Something about their voice seems so "fierce".

[Trellum]

In my country for friends we use something like:  ¿qué onda?, ¿qué pex? Hola! and others I just can't seem to be able to remember right now.

As for formal ways to greet someone, it depends if this is the first time you meet them or if you are using the formal for to greet someone you have already met before, but who is either older than you or hold a position of respect, hence you need to use the ''usted''.  Something like: buenos dias, ¿cómo está usted?, ¿cómo le va?, etc.

[Rosyrain]

I do not like the hand shake because people get really aggressive with it. It is the thing to do in America though. I too like the idea of bowing because it seems so much more respectful  and polite. I think it turns into a power struggle some times when people shake hands.

[Melee]

Most of the informal greetings I hear are just simple one's like "Hi" or "Hey".  When I'm at my son's high school, you hear all kinds of different informal greetings, even though the immediate surrounding areas sound nothing like that. 

If I travel 10 to 15 miles in a different direction away from where I live, then the language style might be totally different, especially depending on what neighborhood you happen to go to.  That's true in a lot of places.

[Rosyrain]

It also depends on the age generation you are addressing. I am in my 30s, so I use more adult greetings than a younger person might. When I meet someone casually, I will say something like "hi, how are you" or "hey, how is it going?" "Nice to see you."

[takibari]

SMILE!!! Don't forget that. That I think is best thing one can do when greeting a person. One can easily say "Hi, how you doin? but as abruptly as the greetings end, just shrugs off. That to me basically cancels out what has just been said. But saying the greeting, even if it's just a mere "Hi!" and coupled with your best smile can go a long way to how  your conversation with the other person will proceed.

[Trellum]

Here when we meet someone for the first time we say something like ''Mucho gusto'' and that's it!  It literally translates to ''a lot pleasure'', but everyone here knows it is used to replace ''nice to meet you'' or ''gusto en conocerlo''.  Because the whole phrase sounds so odd to the ears   Plus nowadays we seem to be favoring the informal language over the formal one.

[czarina84]

There are actually a few different ones here in America.  The ones that come to mind for informal are: Hi, Hey, What's up?, How you doing?, What's happening?, How have you been? (this could be used either formally or informally, but you have to have met the person at least before).  There are probably more, but that's all I can think of for the moment.  As for formal:  Hello, Greetings, Welcome (if you are hosting a party or meeting), Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening, Pleased to meet you.  Again I can't remember any more off-hand but there may be more.  One thing I want to add is to watch saying "sir" around military men and "ma'am" around women under 50.  Personally, I don't care if someone calls me ma'am: I take it as a sign of respect.  Some women assume that you think they are old.  I don't know why.  With servicemen, any enlisted man hates being called "sir" and will almost always reply, "I work for a living".  Some will say it as a joke; others will not. 

Edited November 2, 2015 by czarina84
I had to add something and didn't think it required an extra post.