Have you ever noticed that how you chat with friends is completely different when you are communicating with your teacher, boss, or colleague? If you did, then you already have an idea of what formal and informal expressions are! Read on for a deeper understanding of the two expressions, including examples of informal and formal expressions for greetings, farewells, and more.
What Are Formal and Informal Expressions?
Informal expressions are for casual communication, often with friends and family. “What’s up?” and “Want some food?” are just two examples of an informal expression.
On the flip side, formal expressions are more common in professional settings, like in a work email message or academic writing. Some of the formal expressions that you have probably come across or even used include “I would like to inquire about…” and “Thank you for your feedback.”
What Is the Difference Between Formal and Informal Expressions?
In a nutshell, the main difference between formal and informal expressions is the word choice and structure.
With formal expressions, you have complex terms (or formal English words) and sentence structures that strictly comply with grammar rules. They also have fewer contractions! Formal writing is common in cover letters, business communication, essays, and any formal situation.
On the other hand, informal expressions are the complete opposite. They are perfect for everyday conversations (in text messages or in person) because they use informal words (colloquial phrases and slang) and have a more ‘relaxed’ structure.
Here’s a closer look at the differences:
| Informal Expressions | Formal Expressions | |
| Sentence structure | Short, simple sentences Example: The bus is late. | Longer, more detailed sentences Example: We regret to inform you that our 5 am bus will be delayed for up to 1 hour. |
| Contractions | Uses contractions | Limited use of contractions |
| Modal verbs | Omits modal verbs Example: Seen him? | With modal verbs Would you tell me if you see him? |
| Word choice | Simple vocabulary, colloquial phrases, and slang Example: Wanna hang out? | Complex vocabulary/formal language, no colloquial phrases, and no slang Example: Would you like to join me? |
Greetings
When you meet friends, you can greet them casually, like, “How are you holding up?” But when you’re greeting your boss, you’d want to use a more formal greeting like, “Good Afternoon, [Title] [Last Name].”
Here’s how you can say the same greeting formally and informally.
| Formal | Informal |
| Good Morning [Title] [Last Name] | Hey [ Name] |
| Good Afternoon | How’s your afternoon going? |
| How do you do? | Hello |
| I trust you are well | How are you holding up? |
| How have you been? | What’s up? |
Farewells
Whether in a professional environment or among friends, how you choose to say goodbye can leave a lasting impression. For example, after a job interview, you’d want to wrap things up with a formal “Goodbye” or “Best regards.” However, something casual like “Catch you later” or “Bye” feels much more fitting when you want to bid your friends farewell.
Below are some common formal farewells with their informal counterparts.
| Formal | Informal |
| Best regards, and I hope to see you again at your earliest convenience. | See you later, let’s hang out soon, okay? |
| Farewell | See you |
| Thank you for your time. I look forward to working together soon. | See ya soon! Stay in touch, alright? |
| Wishing you all the best | Take care |
| Yours sincerely | Cheers |
| Until next time | See ya |
| I appreciate your attention, and I’ll be happy to follow up soon. | I’m out! Let’s keep in touch! |
| Best regards | Peace out |
| All the best | Bye for now |
| Please stay in touch, I would love to continue our conversation soon. | Be well! Let’s chat soon. |
Letter Expressions
First impression when writing a letter determines how the recipient views you. A lot could go wrong if you address a formal letter with informal salutations like “What’s up [Name]” when you should be using the appropriate formal salutation such as “Dear [Last Name].”
| Formal | Informal |
| Dear Sir or Madam… | Hi [Insert name] |
| Dear [Last Name] | Hey [Name] |
| To Whom It May Concern [Last Name] | Hey there |
| Hello [Name] | What’s up [Name] |
| Greetings | Morning [Name] |
Opinions
At work, you’ll need to be formal and more structured, adopting phrases like, “I believe that…” or “From my perspective…” Expressing opinions to friends is a bit different. You can use loose terms such as “I think…” and “I guess…” to get your opinion across.
| Formal | Informal |
| I firmly believe that… | I think… |
| In my opinion… | I feel that… |
| From my perspective… | I reckon… |
| I believe that… | I guess… |
Reminders
We all need reminders from time to time — be it a deadline at work or a friend’s birthday party. When reminding your boss about a meeting, you’d want to be polite and professional, right? Including a phrase like, “Kindly note that…” sets the stage for a professional tone.
But if you’re telling your friends about a get-together, you’d probably just give them a casual heads-up, like “Don’t forget to come…”
| Formal | Informal |
| Please remember… | Don’t forget to… |
| This is a friendly reminder to… | Just a heads-up… |
| Kindly note that… | Keep in mind that… |
| Allow me to remind you that… | FYI, the… |
Requests
When making requests, you need to be polite. Still, you won’t use the same words when making formal and informal requests. Generally, less formal requests to friends use the modal verbs will and can, while formal requests use “would” and “could.”
| Formal | Informal |
| Could you… | Can you… |
| I would appreciate it if… | Will you… |
| May I request… | I wanna… |
Invitation
Let’s say you’re inviting your colleague to your wedding. You’d want your invitation to be courteous and professional. A simple “It is our pleasure to invite you to…” On the other hand, inviting friends over for dinner or a weekend hangout requires you to be casual. You can say, “Going out for dinner. Wanna join?”
Below is a table that provides examples of formal and informal invitations.
| Formal | Informal |
| Kindly join us for… | Come join us for… |
| You are cordially invited to attend… | Want to come over…? |
| It is our pleasure to invite you to… | Drop by at our party! |
| Please accept this invitation to… | Hey, you should come to… |
Clarifications
Has your friend said something you didn’t hear clearly? Or are you unsure about a message sent to you by your boss?
When talking to your boss, you could say, “I apologize, but could you clarify the message you sent earlier?” But for friends, it could be something along the lines, “Mind explaining a bit more?”
Here’s how to seek clarification in both formal and informal settings.
| Formal | Informal |
| I apologize, but could you clarify… | Sorry, what was that again? |
| I would appreciate it if you could elaborate… | Mind explaining a bit more? |
| Could you please confirm… | Can you double-check that for me? |
| Your clarification on this matter would be greatly valued. | Can you help me understand this? |
Compliments
When complimenting a colleague about their professional achievements, you can use words like, “Your hard work and dedication are truly commendable.” Of course, you wouldn’t use the same phrasing to your kid. Instead, you could say, “You crashed it, my boy!”
| Formal | Informal |
| Your work is impressive | Stellar job! |
| Your hard work and dedication are truly commendable. | You crashed it! |
| Allow me to express my appreciation for your efforts. | Thanks for the great work! |
| Your contribution has significantly enhanced the project. | You are amazing at this! |
| Your professionalism is highly admirable. | You are a legend! |
