Hello, Goodbye, Thank You: Survival English in 5 Minutes
5-Minute English Lab · A1 Beginner
🌱 Hello, Goodbye, Thank You: Survival English in 5 Minutes
⏱ 5 minutes · PPP · Functional Language
💬 From my own experience: When I first arrived in Sydney from Bangladesh in 2005, I had ‘horrible English’ — my own words. But I knew ‘hello,’ ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry.’ Those three words opened more doors than I expected.
🎯 By the end of this 5 minutes, you can:
use 7 essential phrases for greeting, thanking and apologising in natural spoken English.
Language Focus:
Hello / HiGood morning/afternoon/eveningHow are you?Fine thanks, and you?Goodbye / Bye / See youThank you / Thanks / CheersSorry / Excuse me
📖 Quick Explanation
These 7 phrases are the skeleton of any social interaction in English. Notice that English has formal and informal versions:
| Formal | Informal |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Hi / Hey |
| Thank you very much | Thanks / Cheers (UK/AUS) |
| I beg your pardon | Sorry? / What? |
| Goodbye | Bye / See you / Later |
✏️ Practice
Task 1: Formal or informal?
Decide: is this formal (F) or informal (I)?
1. ‘Cheers, mate!’ · 2. ‘Good evening, sir.’ · 3. ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ · 4. ‘I beg your pardon?’
💡 Show answer
Task 2: Complete the mini-dialogue
Fill the gaps: A: Good morning! ___ are you? · B: ___, thanks. And ___? · A: Very well, thank you. ___ you later!
💡 Show answer
Task 3: Which phrase fits?
You bump into someone on the street. You want to ask the time. What do you say FIRST?
💡 Show answer
🗣 Use It Now
✅ Quick Self-Check