interjections - Would "Greetings" be a better word to greet someone any time than the word "Hello"?


Would "greetings" be a better word to greet someone anytime than the word "hello"?


Let say I meet Mr. Jackson at 2pm and Mr. Anderson at 7pm. Would it be better to greet them as "Greetings Mr. Jackson" and "Greetings Mr. Anderson" than "Hello, Mr. Jackson" and "Hello, Mr. Anderson"?


I wish to greet my customers in a polite manner, so would the word "greetings" be more "polite" than the word "hello"?



Answer



As mentioned previously greetings does seem very old fashioned to me as a native English speaker. But it's not wrong. I think it depends a lot on the cultural setting. If for instance you are not speaking in your native language it would be interpreted as being polite and considerate. If you are a native speaker and speaking with another native speaker, a simple hello would be fine. I think it also depends if you are greeting a single person or many people at the same time. Hello all, hello everyone, or welcome eveyone (if you are greeting tham at an event, to a meeting etc) is quite acceptable when meeting several people at the same time. If you are greeting one person, a more personal follow-up, such as How are you? I hope you had a good journey. Perhaps you would like a drink? Is quite fitting.


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