Mandarin Chinese Conversation Grammar?

[sfonseka]

I am a beginning Mandarin language learner and am wondering about beginning a conversation. Is it appropriate to begin a conversation with both Ni hao and Ni hao ma, or is it redundent. Example:
A: Ni hao. Ni hao ma?
B: Hen hao. Xiexie. Ni na?....

[li3wei1]

They mean the same thing. It's like saying "Hi, Hello".

[Gharial]

I think it's a bit strange for person A to say both "Ni hao. Ni hao ma?" in the same breath and utterance. Use one or the other (as a simple greeting versus a literal question, eliciting a Ni hao! versus as you say Hen hao, ni ne? or similar respectively), or something that at least has a bit more variety (e.g. using 嘿 and/or somebody's name [if known] as an attention-getter or salutation before saying 你好[吗] or whatever). For what it's worth, I wouldn't call this stuff grammar, but rather, more the realm of Conversation Analysis.

[Hailyyang]

It's a little weird to say Ni hao ma after Ni hao. In Chinese, Ni hao is like Hello. We just need to repeat Ni hao. If someone asks you Ni hao ma, we have to say who hen hao, xiexie! It's a polite response.