Lesson 1.1 — Greetings & goodbyes (Spoken English A1)

Listen first

Two colleagues meet in the morning. Notice that "How are you?" is a greeting here — not a real question about health.

🔊 Real audio — spoken by your browser in Spoken English. Tap any word below to hear it.

New vocabulary — tap to hear

Hello/həˈloʊ/ · safe in any situation 🔊

Hi/haɪ/ · friendly, informal 🔊

Good morning/ɡʊd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/ · until about noon 🔊

How are you?/haʊ ɑːr juː/ · the usual opener 🔊

I'm good, thanks. And you?/aɪm ɡʊd θæŋks/ · bounce it back 🔊

See you later/ˈsiː juː ˈleɪtər/ · casual goodbye 🔊

Now say it

Tap the phrase to hear it, then press the mic and repeat — we score your pronunciation for real (Chrome/Edge).

« Good morning, how are you? » 🔊

Say it warmly — stress "morning" and let your voice rise on "you".

—

Pronunciation

Live conversation lab

Practise this dialogue live with a native-trained tutor. Next session opens soon.

Read the dialogue

Tap any line to hear it. Grammar appears in context, never as a dry rule.

Good morning! How are you? 🔊A polite morning greeting

I'm good, thanks. And you? 🔊Answer, then return the question

Not bad at all. Have a great day! 🔊A warm sign-off

You too. See you later! 🔊Casual, friendly goodbye

Grammar in focus · the verb "to be"

Greetings run on the verb "to be": I am (I'm), you are (you're), she is (she's). We almost always shorten it in speech — "I'm good", never "I am good" out loud. Getting this contraction natural is half of sounding fluent.

Full lesson: the verb to be

Write it yourself

Write a short 3-line greeting between you and a neighbour you meet in the lift.

Your answer

Saved to your writing portfolio

Tip for this task
Keep it light — neighbours use "Hi" and "How's it going?", not "How do you do?" Save the very formal greetings for job interviews.

Quick check

An adaptive quiz confirms you've got it and schedules the right words for review.

1. You meet your friend at 9 a.m. Which fits best?

2. Someone says "How are you?" The most natural reply is…

3. Which goodbye is casual and friendly?

Back to module