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Hello, Goodbye, Thank You: Survival English in 5 Minutes

August 5, 2026 Β· Sourov Β· 2 min read

5-Minute English Lab Β· A1 Beginner

🌱 Hello, Goodbye, Thank You: Survival English in 5 Minutes

⏱ 5 minutes · PPP · Functional Language

πŸ’¬ From my own experience: When I first arrived in Sydney from Bangladesh in 2005, I had ‘horrible English’ β€” 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

πŸ“– 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!’ Β· 2. ‘Good evening, sir.’ Β· 3. ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ Β· 4. ‘I beg your pardon?’

πŸ’‘ Show answer
1. I Β· 2. F Β· 3. I Β· 4. F

Task 2: Complete the mini-dialogue

Fill the gaps: A: Good morning! ___ are you? Β· B: ___, thanks. And ___? Β· A: Very well, thank you. ___ you later!

πŸ’‘ Show answer
A: Good morning! How are you? Β· B: Fine, thanks. And you? Β· A: Very well, thank you. See you later!

Task 3: Which phrase fits?

You bump into someone on the street. You want to ask the time. What do you say FIRST?

πŸ’‘ Show answer
‘Excuse me…’ β€” this politely gets attention before your question.

πŸ—£ Use It Now

Write a 4-line conversation between two people meeting for the first time in an office. Use at least 4 of the 7 phrases above. Then read it out loud β€” both parts.

βœ… Quick Self-Check



Independent teaching resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or accredited by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Confers no qualification. Based on publicly available ELT methodology and 18 years of professional experience.
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