12 ways to say "hello"

1) "Hey there" : This is casual, friendly, and familiar. It could be used between good friends or romantic partners in spoken English, text messages, voice mail messages or emails.

2) "What's going on?" : This is casual and could be used between friends or acquaintances in an informal situation like a party.

3) "Hey! What's up?" : This is casual and could be used between friends, colleagues, siblings, etc.

4) "Good morning" or "good afternoon" : These greetings are generally more formal and are often used in restaurants, hotels, shops or at work between colleagues.

5) "How are you doing today?" : This is formal and might be used between a professional and a client or customer or between colleagues or a boss and his or her workers.

6) "Hey! There she is" : This is usually used in situations when you know the person well and it implies that you have been expecting to see the person or that you are very happy to see the person. Emphasis with pronunciation is placed on "there."

7) "How's everything?" : This is simply another way of saying "how are you." It is usually used casually.

8) "How are things?" : This is very similar to "how is everything?" and is perhaps more casual than "how is everything?"

9) "Good to see you," "great to see you," "nice to see you" : These could all be used informally or casually between business colleagues, friends, or family members. These phrases are often used when you haven't seen the person in a while.

10) "What's happening" or "What's happenin'?" : This is mostly used by young people (college age or younger). They might use the phrase to greet their friends when they arrive at a party or when they see each other in class.

11) "How's it going?" : This is casual, especially when you shorten it as in "How's it goin'?"

12) "Good evening": This is formal and is often used in upscale (expensive) hotels or restaurants to greet guests.