Social Language: Some common simple expressions for every day’s life

Introducing people
Greeting
Saying goodbye
Thanking
Replying to Thanks
Making requests and using the word “please”
Using politeness formulas
Expressing opinions

1.1. Greetings
Hello Hi (more familiar)
Good morning, Afternoon/evening/ (more formal)
How are you? Very well, thanks
How are things? I am good/fine/great, thank you
How are you doing? I’m doing well, I’m doing fine, I am so so (ca va un
peu)
How is it? Not too/so bad (pas mal)
How are you feeling today? I am feeling better
What’s up? (Quoi de neuf)
What news? no news
Are you? and you?
How/what about you?
And by your side?
How are you too?
I am fine too
I am good as well
I don’t complain
I thank God

1.2. Introducing People

1. May I Introduce James Ouédraogo ? (Formal)

Have you met James Ouédraogo before?
Do You know ….
This is….
Response
How do you do! (enchanté)
(It's) nice to meet/see you
delighted (to know you)
(I am) pleased to meet you
Response
I am pleased to meet you too
(It is) shared (partagé)
The pleasure is shared
All the pleasure is mine
My pleasure

1.3. Saying Goodbye

It is time to leave!
Let us call it another day! (Remettons à prochainement)
Time is up!
We keep in touch! (on reste en contact)
Catch up later!
Good bye (more formal)
Bye bye (often used for children or towards them)
See you/See you soon
See you some time
See you on Monday
Take care (prends soins de toi)
Have a nice day
Enjoy your meal
Safe trip (rentrez bien)
Get back home safely
Response
Thanks, the same to you
I wish you the same
You as well
You too

1.4. Thanking
The commonest formulas to thank people are:
Thank you
Thank you very much
Thanks a lot
Thanks (more familiar)
Do not say: Thanks you
Thank you a lot
Thanks God

1.5. Replying to thanks

There is no automatic answer to thanking. British people do not answer
when they are thanked for small things. If a reply is necessary, we can say:
Not at all (formal): pas de quoi
You are welcome : je vous en prie
Take it easy
That’s all right
That’s ok
It is (was) a pleasure
It’s a piece of cake
My pleasure
Don’t mention it

1.6. Requests and the use of please (being polite)

We use “please” and “could you” to make requests more polite. E.g.
Could you tell me the time please? This is much more polite than “please
tell me the time”
e.g 2 Could I have some more tea please?
Note that please does not change an order into a request
E.g. Stand over there (order)
Please stand over there (more polite order)
Could you stand over there please? (polite request)

We do not use please to ask people what they have said. We rather say for
example pardon, or sorry or I beg your pardon, or come again
We do not use “please” when we give things to people. E.g. Have you got a
pen I could use?
Answer : Yes, ‘here you are’ or ‘there you go’

‘Please’ is not used as an answer to “thank you”

Please is not used before disturbing people. We rather use “excuse me”.
E.g. Excuse me, could I get passed? (not please)
Excuse me sir or miss, may I ask a question?
After disturbing someone we say “sorry” and not “excuse me”.

1.7. Expressions of opinion

-In my opinion, war is always wrong

Don’t say
: from my point of view/ According to me
We can rather say: he wrote about war from the point of view of an
ordinary soldier
You can say
In my view
In Dr Ouédraogo’s opinion
To me
For me
As far as I am concerned
From the employers’ point of view
From somebody’s point of view is not quite the same as in somebody’s
view. It usually means as seen from somebody’s position in life