Greeting someone

How do English native speakers greet each other? The following polite phrases and idioms are common in English-speaking cultures:

Americans naturally add "How are you?" to their greeting. However, you need to be aware that this "How are you" is not really a question of one's emotional or physical state but rather a polite phrase. You would never reply "Actually, I am really annoyed and I've had a terrible day.". You'd usually say "Good, how are you?".

Look out, the British say "How do you do?" instead.

You might also be interested in the article Saying goodbye.