bsl greetings

30+ essential BSL greetings You should know.

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Looking to learn Sign Language? Or just want to know how to say hello in BSL? You can start with learning the essential greetings that help Deaf people feel welcome. This clip from YouTube shows you how to sign a number of BSL greetings and phrases:

Table of Contents

BSL signs in the video:

The video shows lots of BSL common phrases. This video was chosen by our experts as it covers what most fluent signers would consider to be the most essential, easy BSL signs. You can stop and search the video if you need to know the BSL sign for:

Contents: 0:08 Hello 0:16 Good morning 0:30 Good afternoon 0:42 Good evening 0:57 Good night 1:11 Bye 1:20 See you later 1:35 See you soon 1:49 See you tomorrow 2:06 Welcome 2:19 Hello, welcome 2:32 Nice to see you 2:48 Haven’t seen you in ages! 3:02 I’m surprised to see you

3:18 How are you? 3:29 Are you feeling better? 3:46 My name is Dan 4:06 What’s your name? 4:26 How can I help you? 4:47 Can you help me? 5:07 Please 5:18 Thank you 5:30 Sorry 5:43 Apology 6:00 Excuse me 6:13 Bless you 6:24 Stay safe 6:41 Be careful please 7:00 Wait 7:12 Wait there please 7:32 Again please 7:48 Slow please 8:04 I know a little sign language

Other useful BSL greetings include:

  • Have a nice day. You can also sign have a good day by replacing the sign ‘nice’ with the sign for ‘good’.

The video covers the easiest British sign language words for beginners. There are lots of simple BSL sentences to learn. If you want to learn some more common BSL signs, you could also learn numbers and fingerspelling.

How long does it take to learn BSL?

Honest answer – It depends. You can learn some basic signs within an hour or so from YouTube video clips. However, if you want to learn more than just a few signs, it is always recommended that you learn from a qualified deaf tutor. You gain a better understanding of the language as well as an understanding of Deaf Culture. Learning BSL ultimately depends on your motivation to learn and affordability. Unfortunately, the UK government does not fund BSL courses which is why bona fide accredited courses cost so much (the average cost is around £350 – £450 inclusive of exams).

Can I learn BSL for free?

Yes, you can. You can use YouTube or you can sign up for a free Level 1 course with Doncaster Deaf Trust. The Deaf Trust received National Lottery funding to create this free Level 1 course. The course is a video course with content that covers the awarding body’s (Signature) curriculum. You can definitely learn for free but unfortunately, you cannot do the assessments for free.

Theoretically, you could go through the online course content and then contact a local registered assessment centre to book your assessments. The centre would need to assess whether your signing is at Level 1 standard or if you need guided tutor sessions (which will obviously increase your costs).

The cost of assessments is usually around £100 – £150 which covers the assessment fees and any additional administration costs for arranging your exams. Don’t forget that if you need additional tutorials, your costs will increase too. This is why learning with others on an approved course can actually work out cheaper.

You may be someone who is happy to dive straight into a course. If you want to do a course make sure you know which courses are Ofqual approved.

BSL Greetings make people feel welcome

Learning BSL takes time. If you are short on time, just learning basic BSL greetings can really help to make Deaf people feel welcome. Older Deaf people, in particular, find it reassuring to meet someone who knows some simple bsl phrases. Learning greetings shows you are making an effort to communicate and meet a deaf person’s needs.

You may find that learning the basics isn’t enough or that you are inspired to learn more. BSL opens up lots of opportunities including the potential to change careers.

BSL – left hand or right hand?

Many beginners get confused about which hand to use when signing. Make sure you pick resources like our fingerspelling post that provides information about left-hand/right-hand signing.

Free BSL learning resources

There are lots of free and cheap resources online. Be aware that video courses (like Doncaster Deaf Trust) are a set of pre-recorded clips for you to watch so there is no tutor interaction to tell if you are signing incorrectly. You also need to remember that some resources may show you a sign that is from a specific region.

BSL has regional variations (just like accents) so if you are planning to learn from videos make sure it is from a resource with signs from your region and from a reputable course provider who uses BSL in the videos and not Sign Supported English (SSE) or Makaton.

If you prefer or need BSL greetings as a paper-based resource for children, you can check out Twinkl. Most learners prefer video clips because they are clearer to follow than paper-based ones but paper-based resources can be useful as handouts.