Kilo Lingo
English grammar Part of Chapter 1

CEFR A1

4 min read

Test yourself (26 questions)

English greetings and survival phrases for beginners

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

You can have your first English conversation today, before any grammar: Hello. What is your name? My name is Anna. Greetings and polite words are fixed phrases. Nobody builds thank you from rules. Learn each one whole, say it out loud a few times, and you are ready for a real person.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Pick the right phrase for each situation. Read the situation, then tap the English.

  1. You meet someone for the first time. What do you say?

  2. Someone asks 'What is your name?' What do you say?

  3. You want to know someone's name. What do you ask?

Greetings

The phrases for arriving and leaving. Hello is the one to learn first: it works at any time, with anyone.

PhraseWhenExample
, , Hello, I'm Anna. (to a stranger)
, Hi, Omar! (to a friend)
, middayGood morning! (at work, 9 am)
, 6 Good evening! (at a party)
, Goodbye, and thank you. (in a shop)
, Bye! See you! (to a friend)

When you are not sure, say Hello: it is safe with a teacher, in a shop, on the phone. With a friend, say Hi. Most people leave with Bye (Bye, Omar!); Goodbye sounds a little more careful.

Getting by

Six sentences that keep a first conversation going. Learn each question with its answer, as a pair.

WhenYou say
?
, . ?
Anna.
?
.
, ?

Put your own name at the end: My name is Omar. The name swap is the first real conversation most learners have:

  • Hello. What is your name? (you ask)
  • My name is Anna. And you? (she answers, and asks back)

How are you? is a small, friendly question, not a big one. I'm fine, thanks is the normal answer, even on a bad day.

I don't understand is the most useful sentence a beginner has. It tells the other person to slow down or try again: Sorry, I don't understand. Can you say that again, please?

Courtesies

The words that keep things polite.

PhraseWhenExample
Water, please.
Thank you! (for a coffee)
, Thanks, Omar!
Thank you! You're welcome.
Sorry! (you walk into someone)
, Excuse me, where is the bank?
/ Are you Anna? Yes.
Inside a bakery with a striped awning: a customer holding out a coin stands at the counter; behind it a smiling baker in a chef's hat; on the counter a big loaf of bread, a steaming cup of coffee and a till, with more bread on the shelves behind.
  1. , .
  2. !

1 asks with please. 2 takes the money and says thank you.

One word makes a request polite: Water, please. Without please, Give me water sounds rude in English, even with a smile.

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night

English has a greeting for each part of the day. Three of them are for arriving. One is only for leaving.

A day of greetings

  1. Waking up to middayGood morning (hello)

  2. Midday to about 6 pmGood afternoon (hello)

  3. After about 6 pmGood evening (hello)

  4. Leaving at night, or bedGood night (goodbye only)

PhraseWhenHello or goodbye?
midday
midday o'
o'
,
Four panels of the same little house and garden: in the morning the sun has just risen above the horizon with an arrow pointing up; at midday a beaming sun sits high in the sky; in the evening an orange sun sinks into the horizon with an arrow pointing down; at night a sleepy crescent moon and stars shine over the lit-up house.

The sun tells you the greeting. The first three say hello. Good night only says goodbye.

Good night is the trap. It is never a greeting. You arrive at a party at nine: Good evening! You leave at midnight: Good night!

Friendly or safe?

Most of these phrases have a short, friendly form and a longer, safer form. Use the friendly one with friends; use the safe one with a teacher, a boss, or someone you do not know. If you are not sure, the safe form is never wrong.

FriendlySafe everywhere
  1. Hi
  2. Hello
  3. Good morning
SituationFriendlySafe everywhere
,
? , ?

Common mistakes

WrongRightWhy
Good night!Good evening! : .
I'm fine, thanks.I'm fine, thanks. And you? , .
Please. (thanks)You're welcome. .
Give me water.Water, please. .

A quiet promise for later

Right now I don't understand and You're welcome are sounds you learn whole, and that is fine. Later you will see inside them:

Today they are just things to say, so go and say one.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/6

Pick the right phrase for each situation. Read the situation, then tap the English.

  1. You meet someone for the first time. What do you say?

  2. Someone asks 'What is your name?' What do you say?

  3. You want to know someone's name. What do you ask?

  4. You do not understand the words. What do you say?

  5. Someone speaks too fast. What do you say?

  6. You walk into someone by accident. What do you say?

Sort into groups

0/8

Do you say it when you arrive or when you leave? Sort the phrases.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Complete the story

0/5

It is eight in the evening. Choose the right phrase for each gap.

Anna at the café

Anna arrives: ", Omar!" Omar says: "Hi, Anna! How are you?" Anna says: "I'm fine, thanks. ?" Omar gives Anna a coffee. Anna says: "!" Omar says: "." At eleven, Anna leaves: "!"

Gap 1 of 5

Spot the mistake

0/2

Each sentence has one wrong phrase. Tap it.

Matching

0/5

Match each phrase to the situation. These are the courtesies - the words that keep things polite.

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English · Free printables

Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. Greetings
  3. Getting by
  4. Courtesies
  5. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night
  6. Friendly or safe?
  7. Common mistakes

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in English?
Say Hello. It works at any time, with any person - a friend, a stranger, one person or a group. Hi means the same thing but it is more friendly and informal, so use it with friends. Before midday you can say Good morning, in the afternoon Good afternoon, and after about six Good evening. To leave, say Goodbye, or the short and friendly Bye.
What do I say when someone asks 'How are you?'
Say I'm fine, thanks. This is the normal, polite answer, even on a bad day. You can also say I'm fine, thank you. It is good to ask the question back: I'm fine, thanks. And you? Learn the question and the answer together, as one pair.
What do I say when I do not understand?
Say I don't understand. It is the most useful sentence a beginner has, because it asks the other person to help you instead of leaving them to guess. If they speak too fast, say Can you say that again, please? Most people will slow down and say it again.
What is the difference between Sorry and Excuse me?
Sorry is for after a mistake - you walk into someone, you are late, you say the wrong thing. Excuse me is for before you do something - you want to get past someone, or you want a person to look at you so you can ask a question. Before: Excuse me. After: Sorry. In Britain you will also hear Sorry, can I get past?, but Excuse me is always right.
Can I say Good night when I arrive?
No. Good night is only for leaving, or for going to bed. When you arrive in the evening, say Good evening or Hello. You arrive at nine: Good evening. You leave at midnight: Good night.