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Meet and Greet

Date: Mar 09 2007

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.

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

Mason

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.

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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

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Drmahsa1995

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

im so affectionate with my friends especialy my best friends i say hi; how r u whats up/?!;; my friends always tell me uv got really sport :)) i think women are more affectionate

DarknessLight

Germany

A hug for my close friends, and a kiss on the cheek for my other friends and family. Well, here, a kiss on the cheek is customary (between females) even if you’re just acquaintences, as long as you know this girl/woman you should kiss her on the cheek.

Men here are affectionate, they greet with a kiss on the cheek as well, but not at all times or to anyone like is it for females, it depends on your relationship with this person and the occasion of your meeting e.x wedding, celebration, or just running into them somewhere.

Mk-Babar

Pakistan

Anybody interested to practice English and to share knowledge.. add me at skype.. We will have chating, voice calls, conference calls.
skype id: cruiser40403

Son of English

Hong Kong

Kotlesya – ha, it looks like he’s sucking out the other guy’s soul!

MinhThuy

Viet Nam

a kiss

vicmay_lo-flo@live.com.mx

Mexico

whaT’s Up!!! que pasooo …. hehe. cOOL.

goodmahsa

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

it is right to say that the world has become a worldwide village,cause when I read others’ comments I can see surprisingly how our thoughts , rules , even our values got simmilar to each other I guess if our governments didn’t interfere among people’s relationships because of their own power thirsty or mammonism by spreading their propaganda we all could really love each other and we could live happily with each other in a peaceful Eatrh,who knows maybe such a day arrives ,but back to the topic at hand I should say the nation’s greetings used to be different but now our greetings are totally simmilar with a tinge of difference I read somewhere that Indians used to press their palms on each other and say ‘Namaste’ the word which is used at the beginnig of Yuga classes or in one of African tribes that I can not remember its name they used to spit beside each other’s shoes or at least pretend to do so or in Iran traditionally men used to pat on each others’ back or have a bear hug and women used to kiss on each others’ cheek but nowadays we use all methods of greetings 1.kissing on cheeks men with men and women with women (but this segregation is just for religious ones not all people)2.shaking hands3.hug each other bear hug or any other possible type :)

kotlesya

Belarus

Men are not affectionate as women in my country. They greet each other with handshakes as in formal as in not formal situation. Maximum they can do is to do a “semi-hug”. They slap the shoulder of the friend then.

The only one famous politician of ex USSR Leonid Brezhnev was out of this rule. He was veryyyyyy affectionate :)

Картинка 12 из 742

tila17

Indonesia

In Indonesia, men greet each other by shaking hand and hugging. It’s a bit strange to see men greeting each other by kissing, but it’s just acceptable for women.

manu_wj

Italy

I love hugging friends and kissing people, expecially if they are women

come on people, let’s hug all each other

julito

Argentina

I saw in India men walking holding hands . should I have judged them by my own cultural standard , would be a gross mistake on my part.

Abdulaziz789

Somalia

Booqasho & Salaan

coolgirlis me

Viet Nam

in my country, when people meet someone who they dont know, they often say hello and shake hands .

Learner of Life

Indonesia

Hi! ${#emotions_dlg.smile}$

Cabdirisaq

United Kingdom

I love hugging people. This way i can sincerely show them how i feel. Occasionally i hug my mother especially when i am away for sometime. But hugging is not appropriate in some occasion. You don’t wanna hug a married woman in front of her jealous husband. I think the right time when to hug someone is when you and the other party are really comfortable doing it.

katiephung2901

Viet Nam

in my country Viet Nam, people are not usually kiss or hug when they first meet each other. We just shake hands and say hello in the first time we meet

foz12

Saudi Arabia

in my country Saudia Arabia some men kiss on cheek and on the head (for the old people who are relative)and hugs ,but excluding cousins and uncle women , the women the same but only her relative I mean not allowed to kiss or even shake hand for stranger man that from our religion of Eslam and we respect that and we agree with it and
I’m with Mason with hugs the older friends not newer I don’t know but I feel that old friend no body will be like them but this is the life

mitra.700

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

with my family , we give a bear hug and kiss to each other, both men and women are affectionate in my family. but with friends i normally shake hands and giving hug or kiss in situations that we havent seen each other for a long time is normal.