It's a beautiful Wednesday and I'm sick as a dog! I've had a nasty cold all week (T_T). What do you like to do when you're sick? I love to curl up under a blanket with a good book or watch movies. But today, I'm catching up with my blog. I've been working on my next post for Top Ten Mistakes, but I thought I'd take some time to answer a question from a reader:
She asks:
Is it correct English to say "Good to see you again". Or should I say just "Good to see you"? Which is correct?
And should I say back "You too"? or "Me too"?
Thanks for the question! Many people practice greetings for meeting someone for the first time, but they don't know what to say when they see that same person again. To answer your first question, both "Good to see you again" and "Good to see you" are great greetings. These are appropriate if you haven't seen someone for awhile or if that person is someone you recently met. The correct reply would be "You too" because it's a short answer for "It's good to see you too." Another good choice would be "Same here." It means you feel the same way as the other person. Here's a sample dialogue. Sally and Rachel know each other but haven't seen each other for a little while.
Sally: Hey Rachel, it's nice to see you again!
Rachel: Same here! How have you been?
Sally: Uh, I've been all right, but I'm not feeling too hot this week.
Rachel: Sorry to hear that. We missed you on Tuesday. Have you caught that cold that's going around?
Sally: Yep. My husband's been sick too.
Rachel: Oh no...I hope you feel better soon. Are you taking anything for it?
Sally: Not really. I hate medicine, but I'm trying to get a lot of sleep and I'm taking a ton of vitamins. Thanks for asking.
Rachel: Well, take care and I hope to see you at the meeting on Sunday.
Sally: You too!
If you regularly see the person you are greeting, you can use something different, such as "How's it going?" "How was your day?" or just "How are you?"
I hope this helps! Don't forget to leave your questions under the "Ask Lisa a Question" page on the right side of my blog. I made it just for you guys!
Lisa
EFL Paradise is a blog for students studying English as a foreign or second language, focusing especially on improvement of Koreans' English. Topics will include grammar, pronunciation, listening, speaking, writing, and vocabulary with practice exercises, feedback, and videos.
