If you read enough books or watch enough movies, you may have seen the phrase “nice knowing you” pop up as a literary resource. But what does this phrase actually mean? And how would one use it? This article will answer all of these questions.
What Does “Nice Knowing You” Mean?
“Nice knowing you”, or most commonly written out as “It was nice knowing you”, is a phrase that is generally used when you’re not going to be seeing this person anymore and they will be out of your life, so you will not know them anymore.
This is the sort of phrase that you might use when saying goodbye to someone for a long time, as you’re remarking that the time in which you knew the person was nice.
Therefore this isn’t a phrase that will come up in a lot of casual contexts, and its genuine, earnest use will happen in situations where the stakes and emotions are high, as someone is leaving.
“Nice knowing you” is the sort of phrase that appears in very emotional situations, and if people use it then the odds are high that they’re currently being emotional.
How to Use “Nice Knowing You” in a Sentence
“Nice knowing you” is an expression that one should remember to use only in situations where someone is leaving your life, and you therefore will not know them anymore. Here we’ve compiled some example sentences that will help you memorize how to use this phrase:
- It’s been nice knowing you, I wish you all the best in your trip!
- It’s been nice knowing you, I will miss you a lot and I wish you the best.
- It’s been nice knowing you, make sure to take care of yourself when you’re abroad.
- It’s been nice knowing you, and in spite of all of the hardships, I will miss you.
- It’s been nice knowing you, and you should make sure to eat all of your meals.
- It’s been nice knowing you and I hope that you had fun during our time together, as well.
- It’s been nice knowing you all of these years, and I think that it was time well spent.
- It’s been nice knowing you, and I don’t think this will be our last encounter together.
- It’s been nice knowing you, I am sure that I am a better person because of your influence.
- It’s been nice knowing you, and I will truly mourn that we can’t spend more time together.
Is “Nice Knowing You” Rude?
“Nice knowing you” is not a rude expression, but it should be remarked that it’s a deeply personal expression. Therefore, it’s not the sort of expression that you should use towards someone who you don’t really know, or you only know in a professional setting.
When used in the correct context, “nice knowing you” is not a rude thing to say. Rather, it can be a highly emotional way to remark upon someone leaving your life.
It’s understandable why someone would think that “nice knowing you” is a rude expression, but that just isn’t the case at all. What it is is an informal expression, one very appropriate for casual settings.
However rude would be the wrong word to choose to describe “nice knowing you”, as it’s not an expression that expresses any offense towards the person its being used for.
What to Reply to “Nice Knowing You”
The three best things to reply to “nice knowing you” are “it’s been nice knowing you, too”, “I will miss you a lot” and “I loved all of our time together”. All three of these expressions are appropriately emotional and will be appreciated for that alone.
“Nice knowing you” is not a very casual or lighthearted expression, so when you hear it you will want to know what you can reply in turn, to appropriately match the person’s tone.
“I will miss you a lot”, “it’s been nice knowing you, too” and “I loved all of our time together” all do a good job of matching the emotional tone of the original expression.
Here are some example sentences that showcase the different ways in which you can reply:
- It’s been nice knowing you!
- It’s been nice knowing you, too!
- You know, it’s been really nice knowing you.
- I will miss you a lot.
- I have to say, it’s been really nice knowing you all this time.
- I loved all of our time together and I’ll miss you.
Nice Knowing You or Nice to Know You?
Both “nice knowing you” and “nice to know you” can be accurate, they’re just in different verb tenses. “Nice knowing you” is short for “it has been nice knowing you”, and “nice to know you” is short for “It was nice to know you”.
Therefore these are present continuous and simple past respectively, and you can use either depending on the nuances of what you want to transmit to the person that you’re talking to.
- It was nice to know you, and I will really miss you a lot.
- It has been really nice knowing you, and I don’t really know what I’ll do now.
- It was nice to know you all this time, and I’m thankful for our time together.
- It has been really nice knowing you throughout all of these years.
Nice Knowing You – Synonyms
“Nice knowing you” conveys a really lovely sentiment, and it’s not the only way that we can express that sentiment. Here we have compiled a good amount of synonyms for “nice knowing you” that you can use if you wish:
- Our time together was lovely
- It was great spending time with you
- We had a lot of fun together
- I will miss you a lot
- I hope you go on to do great things
Final Thoughts
“Nice knowing you” is an expression that people use when they’re saying farewell to each other. It’s not very lighthearted or casual, and you will find it used in very emotionally heavy situations, and it expresses a beautiful sentiment in which you will miss the person involved.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
