#65 Checking Project Progress｜English Business Phrases
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#82 Celebrating the New Year｜Everyday English Phrases
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The New Year is a special time to exchange greetings with family, friends, and colleagues, and to wish one another good health and happiness.
New Year’s greetings in English are generally simple, but by adding a few words to express your hopes for the other person’s year, you can make them sound warmer and more thoughtful.
In this article, I introduce English expressions commonly used for New Year’s greetings, as well as phrases for showing consideration for the other person’s year and expressing positive feelings toward the year ahead.
Contents
Dialogue
Happy New Year! I hope you had a relaxing New Year’s Eve.
Happy New Year! Yes, it was great. I spent some time with my family.
That sounds nice. Do you have any plans or goals for this year?
I’d like to focus more on my health and work on new projects.
That’s a great goal. I hope this year brings you lots of good opportunities.
Thank you. I hope the same for you.
1. New Year’s Greetings
The most common New Year’s greeting in English is “Happy New Year!”
Adding a short follow-up sentence makes the conversation sound much more natural.
Example
- Happy New Year! Did you get a chance to relax on New Year’s Eve?
The expression “Did you get a chance to ～?” means “Were you able to ～?” and is a considerate way to ask about the other person’s situation.
Also note that “New Year’s Eve” specifically refers to December 31st.
The word “holiday ”can refer to the entire year-end and New Year period, but when you want to focus on New Year’s Eve itself, “New Year’s Eve” is the appropriate term.
2. Talking About How You Spent the Holidays
After exchanging greetings, it is common to talk about how you spent the year-end and New Year holidays.
Example
- I spent some time with my family.
The phrase “spend time with ～” is a standard expression meaning “to spend time together.”
It is frequently used not only for New Year conversations but also when talking about weekends or vacations.
Related Expressions
- I stayed at home and relaxed.
- I visited my hometown.
- I caught up on some rest.
3. Asking About Plans or Goals for the New Year
Asking about plans or goals is a common topic in New Year conversations.
Example
- Do you have any plans or goals for this year?
It is important to understand the difference between “plans” and “goals.”
Points
- plans:
specific arrangements (travel, work, events, etc.) - goals:
things you want to achieve (health, skill improvement, career development, etc.)
By asking “plans or goals,” you allow the other person to answer in a way that feels most natural to them.
4. Closing with a Wish for the Other Person’s Year
Ending a New Year conversation with a kind wish leaves a very positive impression.
Examples
- I hope this year brings you lots of good opportunities.
- I hope the same for you.
The phrase “bring you ～” means “to bring ～ to someone.”
By combining it with nouns such as happiness or success, you can create a variety of New Year wishes.
Related Expressions
- bring you happiness
- bring you success
- bring you good health
Summary
Key English Phrases
- Happy New Year! I hope you had a relaxing New Year’s Eve.
→ Add a question about New Year’s Eve to make your greeting warmer. - Did you get a chance to ～ ?
→ A considerate way to ask about someone’s situation. - Do you have any plans or goals for this year?
→ A natural and easy topic for New Year conversations. - I hope this year brings you ～.
→ A warm closing expression to wish someone happiness or success.
