Grammar Guru: Nice meeting you/ Nice to meet you

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Which of these two is correct? We say

  • “Nice to meet you” when we meet someone for the first time, and “Nice meeting you” when we then say goodbye.
  • “Nice meeting you” when we meet someone for the first time, and “Nice to meet you” when we then say goodbye.

˙noʎ ʇǝǝɯ oʇ ǝɔıu (s,ʇı) :ǝuoǝɯos ʇǝǝɯ
˙noʎ ƃuıʇǝǝɯ ǝɔıu (sɐʍ ʇı) :ǝʎqpooƃ ʎɐs

The difference is very subtle, and perhaps not everyone will agree with me, but it really sounds wrong to me when someone mixes up the two. I think it’s because we also say “(I’m) pleased to meet you” (which doesn’t work grammatically with the -ing) and “It was nice meeting you” (which seems to refer more to the whole event rather than just the act of meeting).

Socializing is my own main topic this week! I’m very honored to be a guest blogger on Barbara Hoskins Sakamoto’s blog, Teaching Village. She’s the co-author of a children’s English textbook series called Let’s Go, teaches children and adults in Japan, and you can “meet” her here in Darren Elliott’s video interview:

Barbara Hoskins-Sakamoto Interview from darren elliott on Vimeo.

Her blog subtitle says it all: “We’re better when we work together”. The blog has been gaining momentum as more and more people from our PLN (professional learning network) join as guest authors. Her latest venture is a series of quizzes on blogposts written by different members of the network, a great way to zone in on what these people are “all about”.

My contribution is on a socializing game I did recently and will repeat this coming week. It’s a variation on one I learned from Jo Westcombe, who is just full of great teaching ideas.

Comments

4 Responses

  1. Thanks, Anne, for the kind recommendation!

    I’m so thrilled to finally be able to add your voice to Teaching Village. Of all the many fabulous people I’ve met online, you are right at the top of my “lucky” list–I feel very lucky to have met you 🙂

    Hope I have a chance to treat you to coffee or tea one of these days…

  2. Dear Barbara,
    It was so much fun getting involved, taking part in your ongoing blog quiz … and then actually getting those lovely Japanese sweets! Thank you!! Yes, I very much hope we get to meet each other.

    Just to round up the GG votes:
    12 of 14 voters thought this was the best way (and I agree):
    “Nice to meet you” when we meet someone, and “Nice meeting you” when we then say goodbye. (86%)

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