Learn English with English, baby!

Join for FREE!

Social_nav_masthead_logged_in
 
Meet and Greet

Meet and Greet

Date: Mar 09 2007

Themes: Friend

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

There is an infinite number of ways to say hello to someone. Countries and cultures certainly have their own greeting customs, from handshakes (like in the picture) to hugs to kisses. But within each country and culture, there are countless variations, appropriate for different situations.

In the US, in a professional setting like meeting someone for a job interview or greeting a new co-worker, shaking hands is customary. Many people also shake hands in social situations. They shake hands when they are introduced for the first time or when they are saying hello to someone they don’t know that well. But in these same situations, some people just say hi and do not extend their hand.

For closer friendships and family relationships, greetings also vary. Stereotypically, American men are not as affectionate with other men. Even some fathers and sons will simply shake hands, even if they haven’t seen each other for a year. In other families, men hug or kiss each other on the cheek.

Did you see Hollywood director Martin Scorsese win the Academy Award? Many of the men around him hugged and kissed him to congratulate him.

Listen to Mason and Kevin talk about greetings.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

Log in to Listen

2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Kevin

Kevin

Mason:  I don’t know about you…. I, I had dinner with my family this weekend…

Kevin:  OK.

Mason:  And, uh, they’re big on the kiss on the cheek. Like, it’s kind of a family thing for us.

Kevin:  I think it’s nice. I, I do it with many of my friends.

Mason:  Yeah?

Kevin:  Yeah.

Mason:  The kiss on the cheek?

Kevin:  Yeah. Definitely a hug. Definitely a hug. Often a kiss on the cheek.

Mason:  I, I used to be really huggy with my friends, like, my high school friends who I’d known for a long time. But, uh, the new friends, it seems inappropriate now somehow.

Kevin:  Huh. Why, why is that?

Mason:  Um, I don’t know, uh…

Kevin:  I mean, ‘cause you haven’t been friends as long? I mean…

Mason:  Maybe, yeah.

Kevin:  ‘Cause, ‘cause I feel like I have better friends here than I did in high school, with, with few except… I mean, you know, a few exceptions, but… I have some really great friends here.

Mason:  Yeah, I don’t know, um… and also, I mean, like, I don’t, I don’t like to do surface hugs, like, when I go for a hug. It’s… I want…

Kevin:  Bear hug.

Mason:  ... Full body contact, so, uh, I think that maybe scares people, maybe I’m weirding them out.

Kevin:  Not that kind of straight man, like, butt-out hug…

Mason:  The slap-and-hug? The angry war-like hug? No, I don’t…

Kevin:  That really does creep me out. I think, but I think a nice… I think a kiss on the cheek is appropriate.

Mason:  So, can we be hugging friends now?

Kevin:  We can. I mean, it depends on how we feel about it.

Mason:  Hey, you know… cool.

Kevin:  It’s all good with me.

 

Quizzes

Go Super to take Quiz Go Super!

 

Lesson MP3

Go Super to download full lesson MP3 Go Super!

The iTEP® test

  • Schedule an iTEP® test and take the official English Practice Test.

    Take Now >

Discussion

Mason and Kevin are both pretty affectionate with their friends.

Kevin always hugs his friends and often gives them a kiss on the cheek.

Mason hugs his older friends, but not his newer friends. If he does hug someone, he likes to give a real hug, not a superficial one.

How do you say hello to your friends and family?

Are men as affectionate as women in your country?

 

Comments

Log in to Comment

green_lea

Viet Nam

we often smile at each other, it's is usually way of saying hello to someone that you do not know very much, but you have to, just for politeness. For closer relationship, there is many way of greeting, we can hug, bounce with exciting or say hi, long time no see, then freely talk about what we want to share about yourself with the other.

10:31 AM Aug 27 2010 |

raj saini

raj saini

India

hi

07:49 AM Apr 27 2010 |

batool899

batool899

Bahrain

here in Bahrain – as an arabian country – we usually shake hands and kiss each other on the cheek..

but for sure, women do this with women only ..

for me..i say hello using the same custom..even with my brothers ..

the worse think about this in arabian country is that we take so much time in saying hello to each other..because we say:

salam..

how are you?

how is your kids?

again:

how are you?

what are you doing these days..

so..it might take at least 2 minutes..

 

glad to share this with you guys..

05:24 AM Feb 09 2010 |

hisham3

Egypt

I kiss & hug all of my family. For friends, I just hug hug after a very long time no see, try to avoid kissing because it conveys germs, cold & the flu.

05:23 PM Jun 06 2007 |

Josh K

Josh K

Guatemala

bbbbbbb

06:14 PM May 02 2007 |

dvat

Viet Nam

In my country people never kiss or hug other, we just smile and say hello.

03:14 AM Apr 28 2007 |

eternal_84

eternal_84

Turkey

ı think that depends on culture to culture.and sometimes depends on person to person,becouse ıt is the way showing ur closeness.for example in my country,in the first seing you shake hands,but ıf u meet ur friend or someone u know well,you kiss them,both girls and boys.

03:22 PM Apr 27 2007 |

lwjolala

lwjolala

China

sorry,I don’t know!~

06:15 AM Apr 23 2007 |

sweetsouh

sweetsouh

Morocco

well! i usually kiss girls & give a shake hand 2 boys! but i always kiss my family members! & hug my closefrds…

01:16 PM Apr 21 2007 |

dr.mido

Egypt

i always hug&give akiss on the cheek but only with my close relatives&my male freinds.

01:06 PM Mar 19 2007 |

keke2000_9

keke2000_9

Singapore

well.i tink is the good way to show how i feel.

07:07 AM Mar 18 2007 |

manterlice

China

i hug my friends seldom,and never kiss them.whom i hug is my closer friends.i shake hand with my friends when we greet.in my country,men isn’t so affectionate as women

07:26 AM Mar 15 2007 |

sweetie_stela

Philippines

We have different ways of greeting our pals… Me? It differs on the degree of closeness. ;-)

02:50 AM Mar 15 2007 |

travis1222

China

it’s a good way for me to learn english.i think i should study everyday.

01:35 AM Mar 13 2007 |

Jonas_BR

Brazil

It is a custom here, but it’s weird to be huggy with a new friend, and it’s weird a lot if a man’s new friend is another man.

06:34 PM Mar 12 2007 |

blessheart4all

United Kingdom

humm i dont know wht is going on here can someone hint me on thatlol?

08:58 PM Mar 11 2007 |

lil_kate

lil_kate

Austria

well, i hug my friends and give also a kiss on the cheek to my female friends. huggs make happy! :D

05:58 PM Mar 11 2007 |

billing

Viet Nam

So do I. Despite being affectionate with anyone, you can’t hug, especially in my country.

02:28 PM Mar 11 2007 |

ozmenyasemin

Turkey

ın my custom the girls aften kiss each other on the cheek and the boys usually shake hands

01:13 PM Mar 11 2007 |

getchar

getchar

Algeria

in our culture we use hug only with someone who belongs to the family!!

02:22 PM Mar 10 2007 |

Likes (261):

See all >

Share this lesson:

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Bebo
  • Share on Myspace
  • Share on Twitter
  • Email this to a friend
  • Share on Sina

Post Ebaby! lessons on your blog:

Ebaby! Cast