good afternoon

[deryabinae]

hi, there!
could you answer if it would be appripriate to use "good afternoon!" to a member of my family, to collegue; if it's used in formal or informal situations or both?
Do englishmen use "hello, everybody!" in formal or informal situations or both.

 

[BrunaBC]

Hi,

Good afternoon is more formal than hi or hello. In formal situations you won't say hello everybody.

 

[5jj]

While I use '(good) morning' and '(good) evening' when I meet someone in formal or semi-formal situations, I rarely, if ever, use '(good) afternoon'. I use none of them to a members of my family. The only time I can imagine using 'good afternoon' would be if I were giving a formal talk that happened to begin in the afternoon.

 

[CarloSsS]

I know that "hello" is less formal than "good evening/morning/afternoon", but what I'd like to ask is, can I use it in formal or semi-formal situations? When I see a person for the first time. For example, somebody stole my car, so I go to report it to the police. Can I say "hello" to the officer (whom I've never seen before) who is going to take down my statement? Could they get offended I if did say "hello" instead of "good evening/morning/afternoon"?

 

[5jj]

We (speakers of BrE) don't worry too much about this. I'd be more concerned if a police officer expected to be addressed in a special way.

 

[CarloSsS]

Do you mean addressing him by his rank (constable etc.)? I'd most likely call him "officer". Is that OK? It should be at least in AmE because that's what I heard other people using when talking to a policeman (in California).

 

[5jj]

In many cultures, it seems to be necessary to use some form of title for the person addressed. This is not the case in British English. If I wish to draw the attention of a police officer, I may call 'Officer' to attract his/her attention, but if I am drawn into conversation with a police officer, I use no such term.