University of Setif 1

Faculty of Economics, Commerce and Management Sciences. Common Trunk department

Business English (1st Year, 2nd Semester). Academic Year: 2022/2023

Lesson 01: Socializing (Greetings, Introductions & Goodbyes)

Greetings and introductions are the first thing we do when we meet people or someone new. In
this lesson the students will learn how to greet, introduce and say goodbye to someone whether in a
formal or informal way. (Formal: is more polite and used if we don’t know the person. Informal:
is used when talking to friends or persons we know very well!).
A. Warm-up: Greetings
When we meet a person or a group of persons for the first time, we greet each other. These
greetings are done in different ways according to the different cultures and also vary depending on
the relationship between the two persons or groups involved. The table below summarizes some
words, phrases and expressions that we can use when we want to greet someone, with a sample
response to each word or phrase.
Formal greetings Informal greetings
word or phrase Sample response word or phrase Sample response
Hello, / Hello Mr. Mrs. … Hello. Hey. / Hi. Hey. / Hi.
Good morning/afternoon/ Good morning/afternoon/ How are things? Good.
evening/ night*… evening/ night… How’s everything?
How are you? Fine. Thank you. And you How’s it going? Not bad.
How do you do?** How do you do? What’s up? Nothing/ nothing
What’s new? much/ nothing
What’s going on? special.
*’Good morning’ is used until noon after which one uses ‘good afternoon’ until 4 pm. Anytime after 4
pm. we say ‘good evening’ even if the time is not evening but night. ‘Good night’ is used at leave taking
after the evening.
**The phrase ‘How do you do?’ isn’t a real question. It is a formal greeting used only when meeting
someone for the first time, and the standard reply is ‘How do you do?’ not for example: ‘Fine, thank you’.
Example: a. Hello, Mr. Levinson. How are you? b. I’m very well thank you. And you? (Formal)
a. Hi, Sarah. How are things? b. Oh fine. You know how it is. (Informal)
B. Introductions
Greetings are generally followed by introductions where you either introduce yourself or the
person/s accompanying you. There are a lot of different places and contexts where you might need
to introduce yourself or others (in a classroom, in a job interview, in a new job or activity...etc.). So
knowing the context and the audience is very important in this case. In social situations, we can
introduce ourselves without any considerations. However, in the business world introductions are
based on a person’s rank or position in an organization. The person with highest position is
introduced first and the others follow in order of their position. If you introduce two people of equal
rank to each other, introduce the one you know less to the one you know better.

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B. 1. Introducing yourself
To introduce yourself properly you must tell some necessary information and things about
yourself. Some are considered basics and others are just options.
 The basics:
1. Greetings: (Formal or informal as we have seen above).
2. Name:
- I am (I’m)…, My name is (My name’s) …
- This is… (Especially on the telephone).
3. Location: (Where are you from, where are you living)
- I’m from…, I come from…
- I was born in…and grew up/ raised in…, but now I live in…
- I’m originally from…, but I’m now based in…
 The options:
4. Position and job:
- I work at/for…"company name", I work in…"general area".
- I work as a/an…"manager/accountant…".
5. Qualifications: (Especially in job interview)
- I have Baccalaureate degree (diploma) from…secondary/high school.
- Now, I’m studying Economics at Setif 1 University.
- I’m taking English/French/Spanish…courses at…. "center/school".
- I have bachelor of arts degree in…"marketing/management"...
6. Experience:
- I have …years of experience in ….
- I have worked in the…. field for…years.
7. Family:
- I’m from a family of …
- I’m one of …. siblings.
- I’m an only child.
8. Hobbies:
- I really like running/cooking/swimming…
- I really enjoy drawing/watching movies…
- I’m a big fan of…
- I’m a keen soccer/tennis player.
9. Age:
- I’m … years old.
- I’m in my early/mid/late + decade.
10. Fun facts:
- An interesting fear.

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 - A weird like or dislike.
- A strange achievement or extraordinary experience.
Example:
Good morning everyone.
My name is Omer and I am 18 years old. I am from a family of four. I’m originally from
Constantine, but now I live in Setif City. I’m studying Economics at Setif 1 University, and I’m
taking English courses at the Intensive Language Teaching Center (CEIL), University of Setif1. I
have three years of experience in sales. I really like swimming, and I am a big fan of fitness classes.
B. 2. Introducing others
In social or business contexts, we frequently meet new people. Very often, you may be
introduced to unknown people by someone who is already known to you. Certainly, you also need to
introduce other people who are unknown to your family members, friends or colleagues. To
introduce someone, you should give some details about the person (his/her name, place where
he/she lives, works or studies, his/her qualifications or hobbies…etc).
When you are in a formal situation, you should use formal language such as the following
expressions:
- Would you please allow me to introduce…
- I would like to introduce you to…
- May I introduce…
- Please let me introduce you to…
Example: ‘Hello everybody! I would like to introduce our new administrative officer, David
Robinson. He is an Oxford graduate in management studies…’.
In an informal setting, introducing others is often made simply by saying: ‘This is (name). You
don’t need to be that careful about what you say as you need to be in a formal context.
Example:
Ali: Adam, this is Abraham.
Adam: Hi, nice to meet you.
Abraham: Nice to meet too.
Ali: Abraham is my cousin.
B. 3. Small talk
When you meet someone especially for work, it is important to have a short social conversation
bout common interests before you actually begin to talk shop. This is called ‘small talk’.
Small talk helps to build relationship and create a favorable environment for talking business
and to put people at ease before they get down to business. It may also help to develop a better
understanding of the person that you are doing business with.

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Example:
Mr. Mehta: it’s a lovely weather today! Isn’t it?
Mr. Burns: Yes. It is indeed.
Mr. Mehta: how was your flight?
Mr. Burns: it was very good. Thank you.
Mr. Mehta: Is this your first visit to India?
Mr. Burns: No. it isn’t. I first came here ten years ago for a Trade Fair.
Mr. Mehta: Would you like something to drink before we start the meeting?
Mr. Burns: No. thank you.
Mr. Mehta: So let get down to business.
C. Goodbyes
When leaving someone you have many words or phrases to say to them. You can choose
formal or informal farewells depending on the relationship with the person. The table below shows
some of these words or phrases that we can use when we want to leave someone, with a sample
response to each word or phrase.
Formal goodbyes Informal goodbyes
word or phrase Sample response word or phrase Sample response
Goodbye. Goodbye. Bye / bye-bye. Bye / bye-bye
Good day/ night. Good day/ night. Bye for now.
Have a good (nice) day/ Thank you. You too. See you (ya). See you (ya)
weekend/ time! See you (ya) later. See you (ya) later.
I gotta go. Bye.
So long! friends (folks). Bye.
It was nice (pleasure) to It was nice to meet I’m off. Ok. Bye. .
meet (see) you. (see) you too.
I look forward to see Same to me. Take care. You too.
you again. Take it easy.
 Language review:
- Subject Pronouns: I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they.
- Object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, you, them.
- Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.
- Possessive Adjectives: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their.
- Wh-questions: what, when, where, why, who, which.

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Exercise 1: Put the words or phrases from the panel in the correct columns in the table below?

Greetings Introductions Goodbyes

Hello. Goodbye. Hi. How do you do? This is my cousin. See you later.
Bye. What’s up? May I introduce you to my new friend. Take care.
Exercise 2: Do you use formal (F) or informal (I) language with the following people? Write
(F) or (I) in the brackets?
1. Your grandfather. ( )
2. Your neighbor’s son. ( )
3. Your teacher. ( )
4. Your colleague in the office. ( )
5. A stranger you meet on the train. ( )
6. Your classmate. ( )
7. Your friends. ( )
Exercise 3: Look at the example above (in the section B. 1). Then you practice introducing
yourself. Use the clues given below.
A greeting word/expression.
Name
Age
Numbers of your family
Location where you live
Studies/Qualifications
Place of study/work
Experience
Hobbies
Exercise 4: Put students in groups of 3 or 4 and give them few minutes to get to know each other.
Then have them practice introducing each one to another. Each student should say some
necessary information about the other (their name, what they do/study, how they know
each other,… etc.)