Hay

Question

i have a question that i need some answers for it right now.... How do i greet an american person?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

AnonymousHow do i greet an american person?

The customary greeting is "Hello."

Sam1947 · Answer

If it is in a formal setting such as a business meeting or an interview to be admitted to a university or other program, one would always use hello. Hello is never wrong in any setting.

But, persons in the U.S. often use more casual greetings for friends or relatives, such as, "Hi," or "Hey," or, "Hey, how are you?".

The "hey" that is used in greetings is spelled with an e. Hay is the dried grass you feed horses. Many American children grew up with their parents disdaining the casual greeting, "hey," and using the rebuke, "Hay is for horses," to encourage them to use the more formal, "hello."

Hope this helps!

Khoff · Answer

It's important to say "please" when asking an American person -- or any person -- to help you.

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymousi have a question that i need some answers for it right now.. How do i greet an american person?

Well, don't say "Hey" (or "Hay"). They'll probably tell you that straw is cheaper.

"Good day, Your Highness" is too formal. Try "Good morning" or "Good afternoon" or "Hello" or, in informal settings, "Hi".

CJ

Sam1947 · Answer

Absolutely! If one is greeting a stranger on the street to ask for assistance, or anyone else (a clerk in a store, a person at a hospital) it is always best to say, either, "Hi, could you please help me locate N street," or, "Hello, could you please help; my friend has been injured," or, "Hi, could you please tell me what aisle the men's shirts are on?" A nice smile and a "thank you" when the help or information is given doesn't go amiss!

We may have been remiss in not offering what gestures should accompany greetings for a person in the U.S. A handshake is traditional from male to male in business or social settings. A handshake should consist of a firm (but not tight) grasp of right hands with a very slight (emphasis on very) once or twice up and down motion. On the street, in a store, or in a hospital where one is seeking help, one would probably not extend one's hand for a handshake.

If a woman is addressing another woman in a business situation, it is the option of the person being greeted whether or not to offer the hand for a handshake. A handshake would not be expected in any of the other situations between women. If a man is greeting a woman in either a social or business setting, the man waits for the woman to offer her hand before shaking hands. It is the woman's perogative to either shake hands or not shake hands, and no offense should be inferred whether or not she chooses to do so. It is merely personal preference and does not indicate any slight on her part if she declines to engage in a handshake.

Hay

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions