hello
gb/hɛlˈoʊ/ us/hɛlˈoʊ/
A1
Anglais
~ 2500
Sens
0 sens
interjection
A1
action
1
Used as a greeting
You say this when you meet someone or start talking to them.
Schéma d’usage :
[hello], [name]!
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'hello' with 'goodbye', especially when translating from languages where the same word is used for both greeting and parting.
Synonymes
hi (Slightly more informal than 'hello', common in casual conversation.)
Antonymes
goodbye (Used when parting instead of when meeting.)
Collocations
hello there
|hello everyone
|say hello
Thèmes
daily life
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Hello, it's nice to see you again.
- She smiled and said, 'Hello!' as she walked in.
- Hello, everyone, and welcome to the meeting.
- He picked up the phone and said, 'Hello?'
- They waved and called out, 'Hello!' to their neighbors.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Hello, my name is Anna.
- Hello, how are you?
- Hello, John.
- The man said hello to me.
- I say hello to my teacher every morning.
interjection
A1
action
2
Greeting when answering phone
You say this when you answer the phone.
Schéma d’usage :
[hello]?
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes omit 'hello' when answering the phone in English, directly stating their name instead, which can sound abrupt in some contexts.
Synonymes
hi (Less common than 'hello' for answering a phone in formal contexts.)
Collocations
answer with hello
|say hello on the phone
Thèmes
daily life
|communication
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Hello, this is Sarah speaking.
- He answered the phone with a cheerful 'Hello.'
- Hello? Can you hear me?
- The line went dead after I said hello.
- She picked up and said, 'Hello?' in a questioning tone.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Hello, this is Tom.
- Hello? Who is this?
- I answer the phone with hello.
- She says hello when she picks up the phone.
- I pick up the phone and say hello.
interjection
informal
B1
action
3
Expressing surprise or attention
You say this when you are surprised or want someone to notice something.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this use with a standard greeting, not realizing it can carry an emotional tone such as surprise or disapproval.
Synonymes
hey ('Hey' is more casual and often used among friends.)
Collocations
well hello
|hello there
Thèmes
emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Hello! What are you doing here?
- Well, hello, I didn't expect to see you today.
- Hello! That's not what we agreed on.
- Hello! Is anyone listening?
- Hello! You can't just walk in like that.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Hello! You are early.
- Hello! Is that my bag?
- Hello! I did not see you there.
- Hello! This is wrong.
- Hello! What is going on?
Grammaire
Forme canonique
hello
API
GB/hɛlˈoʊ/
US/hɛlˈoʊ/
Syllabes et accentuation
hello (1 syllabe)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: hello
- Plural: hellos
Famille de mots
Expressions
hello there
1/hɛlˈoʊ ðˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
Friendly greeting on meeting someone
You say this in a friendly way when you meet someone.
Exemples
- Hello there! How have you been?
- Well, hello there! Fancy seeing you here.
say hello to [someone]
1/sˈeɪ hɛlˈoʊ tə sˈʌmwˌʌn/
fixed phrase
Give greetings for someone else
Tell someone that another person says hello to them.
Exemples
- Please say hello to your parents for me.
- I will say hello to John when I see him.
- She asked me to say hello to you.
well, hello
1/wˈɛl | hɛlˈoʊ/
fixed phrase
informal
Surprised greeting or recognition
You say this when you are surprised to see someone or something.
Exemples
- Well, hello! I didn't know you'd be here.
- Well, hello. This is a nice surprise.