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I am talking about situations when you want to greet someone, without stopping to talk to them. In Russian, people usually say "добрый день" which means "hello." This is a greeting, not a valediction.

In English, it seems to be opposite. Can I say "hi," or should I say something like "have a nice day" or "bye" when I am passing them?

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  • Hello is a greeting; good-bye is never a greeting. Do you want to know what is possible, or what is normal? Or what is impossible? Is this someone you know? Are you close personal friends, or colleagues, or are you merely passing acquaintances? Is it a complete stranger? It is on the trail, on the street, in a shop, at work, in class, at church? How old are you, and how old are they?
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 0:23
  • I would like to know which one sounds more normal. It doesn't really matter of it's someone I know, or how old they are. Basically, is it ok to say "hi" or "hello" to someone I am passing by, without actually stopping to talk to them?
    – Konstantin Kowalski
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 0:27
  • Be short: howdy or hey or hi are certainly commonly enough heard as casual greetings go, and would normally be used on people you already know or were in an informal setting with; don’t use those on the judge in his own courtroom, for example. Hello is getting on the formal side, much like “good morning/afternoon/evening”, which are all quasi-formal. Don’t use valedictions like “bye” or “see ya” or “hasta” or “have a nice day” or “good night” as though it were a greeting. That would only confuse people.
    – tchrist ♦
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 0:44
  • "Good morning" (or just "morning") and similar seem more appropriate when you want to acknowledge some random stranger but not actually greet them, e.g. if you are out for a walk, or entering a building, you pass someone and feel it is polite to acknowledge them - but without inviting or expecting a conversation.
    – lessthanideal
    Commented Dec 10, 2014 at 17:52
  • In English, it seems to be opposite. I am not sure where you heard that, but it is not true. In English, we only greet people with, well, greetings. That's why they're called greetings.
    – user91988
    Commented Jan 30, 2019 at 23:10

2 Answers 2

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Usually I wouldn't say anything and just nod my head or something if I was just passing by and I didn't know the person. If you were to say something though, "hi", "hey", "hello", etc. would be what someone would normally say. Depending on the time you also might say something like "good evening." Less formally, I would just say something like "What's up?", "'Sup?", or "How's it going?" These aren't really looking for an answer, but I'll say "good" back if they ask me one.

"Have a nice day" and "bye" would usually just be said after talking though or if you were leaving a place you had both been for a while, not as a greeting.

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This depends on the country you're in. Here in Australia the typical exchange when crossing each other — say, in the hallway at work — would be, "Hey Tom! How're you going?" (meaning: 'how are you doing?'). The quick reply without slowing down your step is, "fine, thanks." or "fine, and you?", to which the first person replies "good, thanks," at which point to two will have passed each other.

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