Stop Using These Words in Daily English Conversation

Hi, Hello, Good Morning, Bye, boring. So in today’s article we’re going to learn some fun and different expressions to greet someone, say bye, some interesting conversation starters and closing sentences. And you can use these in your daily English casual conversation to sound like an advanced English speaker. So, Let’s get going.

So from today, you will never use these ordinary expressions and I promise you that by the end of this article you will sound like a natural English speaker with an advanced English vocabulary. 

At Number One is Hi / Hello

Hi or Hello can lead to a dead end in conversations. People just don’t know what to say beyond that. Instead how about we say –

1. Hey there! — This is a fresh and exciting way to greet someone. Hey there! 
2. What’s up? — This is my go to phrase. It’s casual, and always invites a response. What’s up sounds cool with a fist bump or a high five! 
3. What’s poppin’—  This is a cool American expression to ask what’s up. You can also say What’s crackin’ – what’s poppin’ or what’s crackin’  
4. Ahoy, Mateys —  This is sailor talk, but you can use it with your friends to beat the blues! Ahoy! Mateys
5. What’s the good word?—  Another way to ask what’s been going on. What’s the good word
6. Hey buddy! —  This is great when you’re meeting friends, both girls and boys – shorten this to Hey bud.
7. Hello fellows—  You can use this phrase to say hi to a whole group of people. Hello fellows
8. Howdy— This was the signature phrase of cowboys. But it’s like saying hello in casual conversation. Howdy, mate! 
9. Bonjour— Bonjour means hello in French but it has become a very common phrase with English speakers too. If you want to sound elegant, then Bonjour is the word for you!
10. What a pleasant surprise— If you bump into someone at the mall, or the movies, and you did not expect to see them there, you can say, What a pleasant surprise! Look who’s here.
11. Look what the cat dragged in—  This is an informal way to draw attention to someone who has just entered the room. Look what the cat dragged in

Which of these 11 ways to greet someone was your favourite. Quickly drop a comment below and Remember, your body language matters. So next time you meet someone, greet them with a big smile and lots of enthusiasm and use any one of these terms to make a great impression. 

Number Two is      Good morning

“Good Morning” is very sweet but has become overused now. Here are some fun phrases for you to use instead of Good morning. 

1. Rise and Shine! — You can use this when you are waking up someone! Rise and Shine !  
2. Top of the morning to you— This is a more formal greeting. It’s commonly used in England. If you have a morning meeting, it’s a great phrase to greet your boss, or your seniors with. Top of the morning to you. 
3. What a great day to be outside! — If the weather is very pleasant,and you’ve just met someone outdoors –  you can start by saying What a great day to be outside. 
4. Nothing to beat the fresh morning air— when you meet someone on a morning walk or a morning jog, smile at them and say Nothing to beat the fresh morning air!
5. Wakey wakey breaky ready— This is something you can say at home, to your family or your younger sibling. It gives off the perfect lazy Sunday vibe.This is also my favourite line – Wakey wakey
6. It’s a good day to be up and about— Another phrase of morning positivity! It’s a good day to be up and about
7. The Sun’s up and so are you! — This is a compliment to everyone who wakes up early with the rising sun and gets cracking! The Sun’s up and so are you
8. Morning – if you just can’t seem to come out of the Good morning habit, then just shorten it to a more friendly – Morning!

And now tell me which of these 8 expressions was your favourite one.

At Number three are Conversation starters

These are some phrases that will get the conversation going. 

1. What’s new with you? —  If somebody replies “same old”, you can volunteer to tell them what’s new with you instead. 
2. What’ve you been up to lately— This is a good way to start a conversation. Be prepared to talk about the latest topics and news. 
3. Lockdown is doing you good! What have you been up to all this while?— If the friend you’ve met after a long time looks good, tell them that! Everybody likes to hear a compliment. Then ask them what they’ve been up to. 
4. How are things at home? Or How are things at the office? — Asking specific questions will give you a specific response and This will make for interesting conversations. 
5. Start with what you have in common— I met your mother yesterday, or I have the same bag as you! What’s common is easy to talk about. 
6. The weather— A foolproof way to make conversations with strangers. The days are getting warmer. Or,  rains are about to start, OR the evenings have been nippy of late.

Now, I want you to leave me a comment below with your favourite conversation starter line.  

At number four is Closing the conversation 

When you need to leave don’t just want to suddenly say bye, you can say one of these lines – 

1. This was so much fun. We should do this more often!—  If you’ve just had a lunch or a get together that you enjoyed. 
2. I had a wonderful time, or I enjoyed this very much. 
3. Thank you for athe lovely afternoon, or evening, based on whatever time of the day it is. 
4. This was so refreshing — This is something you can say to that friend whose conversations always light up your mood. 
5. Thank you for your time— This is used in a more formal setting, when you talk to a senior or reputed person. 
6. This has left me with so much to think about, OR Thank you for this information,— This can be the closing statement for an interview, or a conversation with an expert who taught you something you didn’t know. 
7. Thanks so much for calling – when you feel like ending a long phone conversation
8. Let’s catch up again soon— It’s always good to end with future plans. 

And at number five is  Bye

All’s well that ends well. But Bye can be boring as hell. In English we want to get ahead, so let’s say these words instead –  

1. See you later alligator— A cool funny phrase to say to your friends. They might reply with, After a while, crocodile.  (or Take care, polar bear) – I just love these animal bye byes. 
2. Toodles – this is a cutesy British way of saying Bye Bye – Toodles
3. Aadios amigos— This one means goodbye friends, and it is Spanish and sounds great. 
4. Ciao— The Italian word for bye. Very classy. Ciao
5. See you soon— This one shows that you’re looking forward to meeting the person again. You can also say, Until next time.
6. Bye for now – it’s a polite way of saying – hey I need to leave, but I look forward to catching up with you again. While texting, this often gets shortened to BFN
7. Cheerio – this is cheerful and youthful – Cheerio
8. Take care or Hang in there— What better way to end a conversation than a heartfelt message.  
9. Stay well—- Especially an important ending in a pandemic age. 

Do leave me a comment below telling me which of these was your favourite and Adios Amigos, stay well and see you later alligator oh yes! And of course – Happy learning.