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Today we're going to talk about saying hello.

You might be saying to yourself "Saying hello? That's easy!"

Take a look at this:

Hello. How are you?

Fine, thank you. And you?

Yes. I am also fine. Thank you.

Does that sound native to you?

The first thing you should know, is a native speaker almost never says "Hello."

We usually say "Hi," or "Hey."

The only time we really use the word "Hello" is when we answer the phone.

But to me, even "Hi," or "Hey," sound a little bit unnatural.

When I see somebody, I usually say "What's up?"

Probably the most common greeting in an informal situation is "What's up?"

it's important to understand what "What's up" means.

Technically, it means "What's happening?" or "What's going on right now?"

So it is not correct, when someone asks you "What's up?" to say

"Fine, thank you."

It happens all the time.

So: the correct response to "What's up is..."

Notice: sometimes I say "What's up"

Sometimes I say "Sup?"

Let's practice saying that:

Now, it is polite to ask someone how they are, but we normally don't say "How are you?"

Some more natural, native ways of saying that are:

Let's say that together:

reviewer

Or in New York: How YOU doin? I'm sure you've all seen "Friends."

So the next time you meet an English speaker, don't say:

Hello. How are you?

You can say:

This is Shane from NativeEnglishTeacher.NET

SOUND NATIVE