5 ways to say “hello” (without saying hello). “Hello!” Everyone knows that this is the traditional way to greet someone in English all over the world. But does it surprise you that most native English speakers rarely greet their family and friends in this way? Well, it shouldn’t. People in Japan rarely use traditional or formal ways to greet their family and friends. So, this article will teach you five ways to say “hello” in a more natural and friendly way. Excluded are regional specific ways to say “hello” as these are often only used in those areas. Sorry Australia and New Zealand (G’day mate, how ya goin‘? Ya right? = hello), The U.S.A (What’s up / Wazz-up = hello) and The U.K (Alright? = hello). Just a quick memo – for a more natural sounding greeting add “Hey ya” to one of the following phrases.
- How’s things? or How’s it going?
This one is asking the receiver how their life has been up until the point of speaking. Two responses are permitted – a short answer or a long answer. Ex. Hey ya Mary. How’s things?
- Things are good.
- Things are good because last week……….
- What’s new?
This is a little different to “How’s things?” in that this requires a long answer with plenty of details. You can however say you have nothing new. Ex. Hey ya Mary. What’s new?
- Oh, last week we got a new…………
- Nothings new, sorry. How about you?
- Look who it is.
This is to bring a group’s attention to or cause someone to take notice of another person / people who have appeared. Ex. “Then we saw this huge whale… Oh look who it is. Hey ya Mary. How’s things?” You should imagine that a group is listening to a story about a whale when Mary suddenly appears. The speaker wants to transfer the groups attention from his / her story to Mary.
- Fancy seeing you here.
This is used when you suddenly notice someone and you want to get their attention. Ex. “Hey ya, fancy seeing you here. What’s new?”
- Good to see you / Nice to see you.
This is a polite way to greet someone. It is also useful if you cannot remember someone’s name. Ex. “Good to see you here. It has been a long time since we last met.” I have a bonus way to say ‘hello’ but it is only spoken in one special situation. This phrase is “speak of the devil”. This is used when you are speaking about someone and then suddenly, they walk into the room, suddenly call or message you. Ex. “Did you hear about Mary? She has bought…… [Mary enters the room]. Oh, speak of the devil, we were talking about your new watch.” So, there you have five ways to greet someone without saying “hello”. Try to use these on your next teacher the next time you see him / her.
Helloと言わずに挨拶する5つの方法 「Hello！」これは世界中の誰もが知っている、丁寧な英語の挨拶ですね。しかし実際には、英語を母国語とする人々のほとんどは家族や友人に対してHelloと挨拶することはめったにありません。でも、そうですよね。日本でも、家族や友人にに対して昔ながらのかしこまった挨拶なんてめったにしないですもんね。この記事では、よりナチュラルで親しみやすい方法で挨拶をするための5つの方法を紹介します。 特定地域でのみ使われる表現は今回は除外させてください。オーストラリアとニュージーランド（G’day mate、お元気ですか？Ya right？=こんにちは）、アメリカ（What’s up / Wazz-up =こんにちは）とイギリス（Alright？=こんにちは）は今回は載せていません。 メモ – より自然に聞こえるために、以下のフレーズのうちの1つに「Hey ya」を追加してみてください。
How’s things? or How’s it going? これは、いま会った時点までどう過ごしていたかを尋ねています。短い答えと長い答えの2つが可能です – ＊例：Hey ya Mary. ー。 How’s things？ ーThings are good. ーThings are good because last week……….
What’s new?「How’s things？」は、より詳しく答える必要があるので、前述のものとは、少し違いますね。まぁ、特に何もなかったと答えることもできますが。 ＊例：Hey ya Mary. What’s new？ ーOh, last week we got a new………… ーNothings new, sorry. How about you？
Look who it is. これは、誰かがその場に現れた際に、グループの注目を集める、または他の人に知らせるために使われます。 ＊例：”Then we saw this huge whale… Oh look who it is. Hey ya Mary. How’s things?” 何人かの人がクジラについての話を聞いているところへMaryが突然現れたのが想像できますね。話し手はみんなの注意を自分からメアリーに向けたいんですね。
Fancy seeing you here. これはどこかで知り合いを見つけた時に、相手に気づいてもらいたい時に使われます。 ＊例：”Hey ya, fancy seeing you here. What’s new?”
Good to see you / Nice to see you. こちらはちょっと丁寧な挨拶ですね。実は、相手の名前を思い出せない時にも便利です。 ＊例：”Good to see you here. It has been a long time since we last met.”
もう一つ別の言い方もあるのですが、ある特別なシチュエーションにのみ使えます。”speak of the devil”です。例えばあなたが誰かについて話していたとしましょう、すると突然、その本人が部屋に入ってきたり、あとは電話やメッセージを送ってきたりした時です。 ＊例：”Did you hear about Mary? She has bought…… [Mary enters the room]. Oh, speak of the devil, we were talking about your new watch.” これらが、”Hello”と言わずに挨拶をする5つの方法です。次に先生に会う時に是非使ってみてくださいね。