If you’ve ever watched a nature documentary or observed animals interacting in the wild, you know that there are specific things each species does to get the attention of the opposite sex.
Some birds shake their tailfeathers to get a potential mate to notice them.
Some bugs change color to try to woo other bugs into procreating.
We humans, on the other hand, tend to get each other’s attention by texting or messaging each other.
And the most common way to get someone to think about you? Simply texting “Hey.” So how should you respond if a girl says “Hey”? Here are a few suggestions.
How to Respond to “Hey” from a girl
- Hey right back at you
- Well hey there!
- Hey yourself ☺
- Hi there! How’s it going?
- Well hello, this is a nice surprise. How are you?
- Howdy! What are you up to?
- Ahoy there! How’s it going?
- Yo! How are ya?
- Heyy, how are you?
- Hey there darling, how’s your day been?
- Hey babe, how’s it going?
- Hey honeypie, how are you?
- Howaya?
- Hey there beautiful, how are you doing?
- Hey, how are you? Would you be free to get together this weekend?
- Hey gorgeous ☺
- Well, well, well, if it isn’t [insert nickname] popping up in my notifications after all this time!
- I was hoping I would hear from you! How’ve you been?
- Hey girl! How have you been?
- New phone, who dis? Just kidding, it’s so nice to hear from you ☺
- Long time no talk, I’m really happy you texted. How are you doing?
- So…it’s been a while. Glad you reached out. How are things going?
- You’re alive! How’s it going?
- Hey.
- Hey, I’m super busy at the moment. Maybe we could talk some other time?
- Hey, it’s nice to hear from you. I just wanna make sure you didn’t get the wrong idea about us. I have a girlfriend, so I’m not really interested in chatting over text atm.
- Hey, sorry, I’m hanging out with friends so can’t really talk. I’ll see you at work on Monday.
- Hi, where did you get my number?
- Can’t talk just now. Do you need something urgently?
- Hey, I did mean it when I asked you not to contact me again. I don’t mean to be rude, but I think it would be best if we didn’t talk anymore.
How to respond to “Hey” from a girl if you like her
Getting a message from a girl you’re into, no matter what it says, is always exciting. Even if all she has written is a simple “Hey,” you can rest assured that she wants to talk to you.
Try to get the conversation going by sending back an enthusiastic greeting and asking her how things are going.
Here are a few ways to respond to “Hey” from a girl you like.
1. Hey right back at you!
If someone has simply texted you “Hey” it usually means they want to talk but aren’t exactly sure what to say.
The best thing you can do to build someone’s confidence is to introduce a light-hearted tone to the conversation. Keep things familiar and fun.
Saying “Hey right back at you!” sounds enthusiastic. This will encourage her to keep texting.
2. Well hey there!
Using exclamation marks after a greeting conveys excitement. It is always nice to receive an enthusiastic response when you have reached out to someone.
Starting your text with “Well” keeps the tone of the chat light and friendly and is a much more interesting response than just repeating the greeting you received.
3. Hey yourself ☺
If you want to introduce a flirty mood right from the get-go, why not respond with the cheeky “Hey yourself.”
Adding a smiley emoji will assure the girl you’re writing to that while you enjoy a bit of banter, you also want her to know that you are genuinely happy to be talking to her.
4. Hi there!! How’s it going?
If you feel stoked about getting a message from a girl and you are already on pretty good terms with her, don’t hesitate to use two exclamation marks after your greeting. She will surely be happy to see that you are keen to talk.
Asking how it is going is a great way to get the conversation moving.
5. Well hello, this is a nice surprise. How are you?
If you weren’t expecting to receive a message from a girl, then is a good idea to express that you are pleasantly surprised.
For example, this is a great response to send if you gave a girl your number and weren’t sure she’d follow up with you. Letting her know you are glad she did will build her confidence and will probably make her more talkative.
6. Howdy! What are you up to?
Text exchanges go well if things feel easy-going and relaxed. By responding to a girl’s “Hey” with “Howdy!” you are showing her that you are confident enough to be silly.
Following up your funny greeting with a question gives her something easy to respond to and something concrete to talk about.
7. Ahoy there matey! How’s it going?
If you want to make her smile, send a jokey response. “Ahoy there matey!” is a pirate’s greeting and is therefore clearly meant to be a little silly.
If the girl you’re talking to is into fantasy books and films or is just kind of a goofball, she’s sure to enjoy this nautical greeting. If nothing else, it’ll be unexpected and is sure to make her pay attention.
8. Yo! How are ya?
If you know the girl you’re texting, and you tend not to talk to each other formally, why not forego all the usual greetings and opt for “Yo!”
Follow this up with “How are ya?” to make sure she has something to respond to. Saying “ya” instead of “you” keeps the tone of your message colloquial and fun.
9. Heyy, how are you?
If your texts are too formal, the girl you’re texting may start to feel like she’s answering emails. And we all know that the last thing we want to do after a long day at work is send more carefully thought-out, serious messages.
Instead, why not try switching your greetings up! Adding an extra “y” to your “Hey” makes the text sound more informal and fun.
10. Hey there darling, how’s your day been?
If you know the girl you are texting well, for example if you’ve already been on a date or two with her, you could call her darling.
Asking her how her day has been also sends the message that you care about how she’s been feeling today and about what she spends her time doing.
This is sure to make her to want to keep talking and inspire her to ask how how your day has been.
11. Hey babe, how’s it going?
If you’re seriously dating the girl you’re talking to, why not call her babe? This is a common term of endearment that many people appreciate.
Greeting her in a caring, flirty manner and then asking her how it’s going is sure to elicit a cheerful response.
12. Hey honeypie, how are you?
Using terms of endearment with girls you are seriously dating usually goes over very well. And the nicknames or terms you use don’t always have to be super serious!
“Honeypie” has a certain southern charm to it and can also be used in a humorous manner.
If you want to bring an extra big smile to the face of the girl you’re texting, why not send this as a voice message and put on your best southern accent (unless of course you are from the south, in which case, why not adopt a British accent and call her sugar plum!).
13. Howaya?
Introduce some Irish flair to your chat and respond with “Howaya?”, which is a common greeting in Ireland.
This will go over particularly well if the girl you are talking to has Irish heritage, as she will probably be familiar with the greeting and will appreciate you using it.
14. Hey there beautiful, how are you doing?
Since a text conversation with a lone bubble that reads “Hey” is not all that interesting, why not spice up the thread by complimenting the girl you’re texting.
Calling her beautiful is sure to bring her out of her shell and make her feel excited to respond to you.
15. Hey, how are you? Would you be free to get together this weekend?
If you have been on a few dates with a girl and she texts you to say hey, why not go right in for the kill and ask her if she’s free for a date on the weekend?
Some people find that too much messaging before you know each other well enough can kill the chemistry. Getting together instead allows you to get to know each other in person.
Suggesting a meetup will also show her that you are genuinely interested in getting to know her.
16. Hey gorgeous ☺
If a girl messages you to say hey, it usually means she’s showing her interest in you. Responding by calling her gorgeous is surely going to make her happy.
Adding a smiley reinforces the message that you like her. Nothing makes people chattier than speaking to someone who is showing a real interest in them.
How to respond to “Hey” from a girl if you like her but haven’t heard from her in a while
Sometimes an old flame will message out of the blue.
If they are someone we used to know and they send a text that says “Hey,” it usually means they either want something specific or they are interested in rekindling things.
If you are happy to hear from someone and are interested in getting to know them again, then send a message that acknowledges that time has passed since you last spoke but also makes it clear that you are glad they have reached out.
17. Well, well, well, if it isn’t [insert nickname] popping up in my notifications after all this time!
If there has been a long pause in your communication with someone, starting things up again can be a bit awkward.
The best thing to do to eliminate these growing pains, is to lighten the mood. “Well, well, well” gives the conversation a familiar and easy-going tone.
Calling the girl who has texted you by an old nickname is sure to bring back good memories and will help re-establish a former closeness.
18. I was hoping I would hear from you! How’ve you been?
If you want to keep it simple and get straight to the point, let her know you were hoping you would hear from her. Then ask her how she’s been.
By saying this, you’re leaving the door open for things to develop naturally.
19. Hey girl! How have you been?
To establish a friendly tone right away, call her “girl.”
Saying “Hey girl!” has a jokey, intimate feel to it, and is sure to make her feel comfortable. This will make her feel like she can open up to you again.
She may be a bit nervous about re-establishing contact, so put her at ease by showing her that you have a special kind of affection for her.
Then ask her how she’s been! After all, if you haven’t spoken in a while, it is only natural for you to wonder about what her life has been like since you were last in touch.
20. New phone, who dis? Just kidding, it’s so nice to hear from you ☺
If you used to have a good-humoured, jokey relationship, why not pretend you have no idea who she is.
This will surely break any tension that might initially exist and will remind her of how much fun you used to have together.
Letting her know that you do of course know who she is by telling her it is nice to hear from her and sending a smiley emoji, will put her in no doubt that reaching out to you was a good idea.
21. Long time no talk, I’m really happy you texted. How are you doing?
You can also acknowledge that it has been a while since you last spoke by using the common phrase “Long time no talk,” which is a modern variation of the old idiom “Long time no see.”
If you haven’t spoken to someone for months, it would be strange to go right back into talking without acknowledging that time has passed.
Using a phrase often used to describe situations like this will easily check this task off the list so that you can quickly move on to letting her know how happy you are that she reached out.
22. So…it’s been a while. Glad you reached out. How are things going?
Another way to acknowledge the time that has gone by since you last spoke, is to start your response with “So…it’s been a while.”
This is an easy way to get this important point out of the way, without making a big deal of it. Follow this up with expressing that you are happy she wrote to you and by inquiring how things are going for her.
23. You’re alive! How’s it going?
To add a light-hearted, humorous touch to your response, why not jokingly suggest that you are surprised they are alive.
What you are humorously implying is that you haven’t heard from them in so long that you thought they might have died. Saying this opens the door to more banter about the time that has passed since you last talked.
How to respond to “Hey” from a girl if you don’t like her
Unfortunately, not all messages are happily received. It can sometimes be tricky to know how to deal with an unwanted “Hey” text from a girl.
If someone you don’t like texts you, you can take one of several approaches. Below are a few different responses for you to consider.
24. Hey.
The easiest response to a “Hey” message you aren’t happy about, is just to text “Hey” back.
Why do the work for the person texting you? Make them tell you why they’re contacting you themselves.
Once they’ve made themselves clear, you can go about figuring out how best to end the conversation.
25. Hey, I’m super busy at the moment. Maybe we could talk some other time?
A classic but effective line to take with someone you don’t want to talk to is to tell them you are busy. This may well be true, but it is also not rude to tell a little white lie if it spares hurting someone’s feelings.
Simply let the girl know you can’t talk right now and don’t be in a rush about getting back to her. If she texts you again, you can let her know more explicitly (though be sure to be considerate and polite!) that you would rather not engage in a texting convo with her.
26. Hey, it’s nice to hear from you. I just wanna make sure you didn’t get the wrong idea about us. I have a girlfriend, so I’m not really interested in chatting over text atm.
This is an appropriate response if someone meets you on a night out and finds a way to contact you. Maybe they add you on Instagram and slide into your DMs, or maybe they have asked a mutual friend for your number.
If you have a partner, letting them know that you are in a relationship will be sure to put an end to the conversation.
If they keep texting you, feel free not to respond as you have already made your intentions clear.
27. Hey, sorry, I’m hanging out with friends so can’t really talk. I’ll see you at work on Monday.
If an over-friendly work colleague texts you “Hey” during your free time. Simply say you are unavailable to talk and that you will see them at work.
Telling them you will see them at work lets them know that you do not want to make plans to see them outside of work. They should be able to read between the lines that you are not interested in them romantically.
28. Hi, where did you get my number?
The worst-case scenario when you receive a text from a girl saying “Hey,” is that you absolutely do not want to talk to them and have no idea how they got your contact details.
There is no need to engage in small talk if it is inappropriate for the person you are messaging to have written to you in the first place. Get right to the point and ask them how they got your number.
Most people will be able to tell from this response that you are not enthusiastic about continuing the conversation and that, quite frankly, you’re a little freaked out.
29. Can’t talk just now. Do you need something urgently?
If you don’t want to talk to a girl who has texted you “Hey,” let her know you can’t talk right now.
In order not to appear rude, you can ask her whether she needs something urgently. After all, maybe she does!
But if she doesn’t, she’ll understand that the only circumstances under which she should text you are if something very important has come up. This lets her know that you are not interested in casual social conversation.
30. Hey, I did mean it when I asked you not to contact me again. I don’t mean to be rude, but I think it would be best if we didn’t talk anymore.
Of course, the absolute worst of all scenarios is when a girl texts you “Hey” after you have made clear to her that you don’t want to talk anymore.
Maybe she is an ex, or someone you once had a fling with that ended badly. In any case, be as clear as you can be that you want no further contact.
You are entitled to decide who you do and don’t text, and other people must respect this. If she continues to text you can ignore her messages, and, in the worst case, you can block her.
Hey, it’s me, Steven. Dating and relationships have always fascinated me. On Dategosu, you will find my best tips to make sure your next date is a great success!