Sample of dialogue 1
| Person A : |
How do you do? |
| Person B : |
I am fine, thank you. |
"How do you do?" – is a formal and not used very much, especially by younger people, these days. It can be used on first meeting and normally followed by a formal handshake when both partners issue in same greeting. The reply to "How do you do?" – is ("Pleased to meet you") , ("Nice to meet you") or ("Nice meeting you").
Shaking Hands (A Universal Culture)
When meeting someone formally for the first time, we shake our hand and say "How do you do?" or "Pleased to meet you." "How do you do?" isn't really a question; it just means "Hello".
When young people meet informally they sometimes say "Give me five!" and slap their hands together (high five).
Generally we do not shake hands with people we know well.