Mastering Formal and Informal Greetings

A: All right, everyone—welcome! Today, we're going to master the art of meeting and greeting. Imagine you’re meeting someone new. What greeting could you use in a formal setting?

B: Um... would that be ‘Hello’? Or maybe ‘Good morning,’ if it’s early?

A: Exactly. ‘Hello’ is always safe and very formal. For the time of day, switch to ‘Good morning’ up to noon, ‘Good afternoon’ until around five, and ‘Good evening’ after that. Now, how about informal?

B: Just ‘Hi,’ right? Like with friends.

A: Perfect. Let’s try a quick name exchange. I’ll start: Hi! What’s your name?

B: My name’s Sam. And you?

A: I’m Pat. Nice to meet you, Sam!

B: Nice to meet you too, Pat! Wait—I’ve also heard, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ Is that too formal with classmates?

A: Not too formal, just a little more polite. Good for new colleagues or adults you don’t know well. Now, names and titles—when do we use ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’?

B: Hmm, ‘Mr.’ is for any man. ‘Mrs.’ is only for married women. What about ‘Miss’?

A: ‘Miss’ is used for single women. So: Mr. Rivera is a man, Mrs. Torres is a married woman, and Miss Perez is a single woman. Practice with your partner and listen for those titles!

B: Got it. What if I’m not sure if a woman is married or not?

A: Good question—default to ‘Ms.’ in workplaces, but here let’s stick to ‘Miss’ or ‘Mrs.’ just for practice. Let’s focus on the verb ‘to be.’ If I say, ‘I am Ana,’ what’s the contracted form?

B: Oh! That’s ‘I’m Ana.’ And ‘You’re my teacher.’ Do we always use contractions when we speak?

A: Almost always—you sound more natural. Let’s run through a micro-practice. I’ll say the sentence, you say the contraction, or vice versa. Ready?

B: Sure. Uh, ‘He is from Mexico.’

A: He’s from Mexico! Now: ‘We are friends.’

B: We’re friends. Easy!

A: Exactly. Now, one last thing—spelling. Let’s review: A, H, J, K, 8. Can you try spelling ‘Jake’ for me?

B: J-A-K-E. That’s ‘J’—from group one, ‘A’, then ‘K’, and ‘E’ from group two, right?

A: Excellent memory! Alphabet is key for names and emails. Now, swap and have your partner spell their name next. Any questions about greeting—like formal vs informal—before we practice?

B: Just to check—so, use ‘Hello’ and full names in formal cases, but at school, ‘Hi’ and first names are fine?

A: That’s right. For now, switch roles and practice the full greeting, with titles and contractions. I’ll listen for those details!

A: Let's switch to the classroom, since that's where conversation really comes alive. Look around—what do you see?

B: Okay—um, I see... There is a board, and... there are chairs. Wait. Is it 'there is chairs' or 'there are chairs'? I always mix those up.

A: Great catch! 'There is' for one: 'There is a chair.' 'There are' for more than one: 'There are chairs.' Same with 'board'—'There is a board,' but 'There are boards.' Want to try a few more?

B: Sure. There is a computer... There are pens. Is that right? Pen and pens... Oh, does it matter if they're together? Like, 'There is a pen and a pencil'?

A: Nice! And yes—whenever you have two or more items, you use 'there are.' 'There are a pen and a pencil.' Or more simply, 'There are pens and pencils.' If it's one thing, 'There is a pencil.'

B: I think I get it—kind of! Okay, so what about numbers? Can you walk me through them?

A: Of course! Let's count together from one to twelve: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve. Now, let's use them in context. How many phones are here?

B: There are—oh, maybe two phones. There are two phones. Wait, but if there's only one student and one phone, would I say 'There is a student... There is a phone'?

A: Exactly! One thing, 'There is.' More than one, 'There are.' Want a tricky one? 'Are there tablets?'

B: Yes, there are! Or—wait, let's do a negative. There aren't tablets. Am I saying that right?

A: Perfect! And you can use negatives for anything: 'I’m not,' 'You’re not,' 'It isn’t.' For example: 'I’m not from Brazil.' Can you give me another?

B: Let me try... 'He isn’t a teacher.' Or maybe: 'We aren’t friends.' Uh, that sounded mean—I meant just the structure!

A: No offense taken—it’s just grammar! Now, let’s do a quick reading. Luis says: 'Hello! My name’s Luis. I am from Monterrey, Mexico...' Remember him?

B: Yeah, he's 21, likes Shakira, and isn't married. I remember! So if I wanted to write about myself, it would be, 'My name’s Sam. I’m from London. I’m 19. I’m a student. My favorite musician is... uh, Beyoncé.'

A: Excellent model! And if you need to fill out a form, you’d include: Name, Phone number, Email, City, Country. For your email, do you know the English for the symbols?

B: Like '@' is 'at', '.' is 'dot', '-' is 'dash', and '_' is 'underscore'? Is that right?

A: Spot on! Can you spell your email for me using those names?

B: Let’s see... s-a-m underscore j-o-h-n at example dot com.

A: Perfect! You’ve got the basics down. Last step: Practice, and when you score 75% or higher on the quiz, you’ll earn your WhatsApp certificate. Ready to keep going?

B: Absolutely! This feels so much better already. Can we do more talking next?