Phrases for reconnecting with an old friend

Do you know what to say to an old friend who you haven't seen in many years? Here are some phrases that you can use when you reunite with someone:

Greet them

People who haven't met in a long time often act surprised, even when their meeting was planned:

Oh my gosh, look who it is!

Well if it isn't my old buddy Bill!

You might want to comment on how long it's been since you last met:

Hey man! Long time no see!

It's been far too long.

I can't believe it's been ten years!

When was the last time we saw each other?

And it's nice to compliment them:

It's so nice to see you!

Look at you! You look great!

Ask questions about each other:

Instead of "How are you?" or "How are you doing?" you can ask this when you haven't seen someone in a long time:

How have you been?

And if you want more information:

What have you been up to?

Ask about their job:

What are you doing these days?

Are you still at IBM?

Ask about their family:

How are your folks? Are they doing OK?

How old is Nathan now? Ten? Eleven?

Talk about other people you know

You can ask about people that you both used to know:

Have you kept in touch with Armando?

What's Peggy up to these days?

Or you can share information or stories about people:

Did you hear about Ernie's knee surgery?

You know who I ran into recently at the car wash? Your old friend Marcus.

Finsh up the conversation

To end a conversation with an old friend or acquaintance, you can use these phrases:

It was great to see you again.

I'm so happy we reconnected.

Let's do this again soon.