The fastest way to learn to speak English fluently is to surround yourself with English speakers. Luckily, English is spoken in many parts of the world. What does this means for travelers? This means that you will have to opportunity to practice speaking English by traveling to many places around the world. But what would you say to English speakers that you meet them in your travels?

Check out these essential English phrases!

Greet Someone

You can use these phrases when you first meet someone. You will need to good greetings in order to start a conversation with anyone.  

Hello.  This is a formal greeting. You should use this when you are in a formal event (such as a business meeting or party) or with people you don’t know.  In addition, people also say “Hello” when they answer the telephone.

Good morning. This phrase is a greeting used by English speakers in the morning. It’s a casual phrase and you can say it in situations when you don’t know the other person or if you are greeting a stranger that you pass on the street. It’s only used before 12pm (noon). You should not use this phrase after 12pm.

Good afternoon. This is the phrase people use between 12pm and about 5pm. Similar to good morning, you can use this phrase in situations where you don’t know the other person very well.

Good evening. This phrase is used in the evening, between 5pm and 9pm. Again, you can use this with people you don’t know well.

Hey there. This means the same thing as “Hello” but it is a much more casual form of greeting. You should use this around people that you are know well.  In online dating websites, Americans often use this phrase when they initiate a message to someone that they’d like to go on a date with!

What’s the key to learning conversational English? It is having the right tools and content to help you learn. Check out the ELSA app, where you can practice speaking these phrases. ELSA will tell you which words you’ve mis-pronounced and give you advice on exactly what to do to correct your pronunciation. In the ELSA app, you will find 80 English phrases that every traveler should know until the Topic “English Essentials.”