5 Tips for English Greetings and Responses How to Ask and Answer How are you
Hi!
I’m Olivier, welcome to Oxford Online English!
When you started learning English, I’m fine
is probably one of the first things you learnt.
It’s a simple way of answering the question
How are you?
Fine is, well, fine!
But if you use it all the time, it can get
very repetitive, and a little boring.
Does this look familiar to anyone?
Hi, how are you?
I’m fine thank you, and you?
Hi, how are you?
I’m fine thank you, and you?
Hi, how are you?
I’m fine thank you, and you?
Hi, how are you?
I’m fine thank you, and you?
I think you get the idea.
Even with very simple language, it’s better
if your language is varied.
So, how can you make this more interesting?
Here are a few ideas.
Hi, how are you?
I’m good, thanks, you?
Hi, how are you?
I’m pretty good.
Hi, how are you?
I’m OK.
Hi, how are you?
Not bad, thanks.
Hi, how are you?
I’m very well.
Hi, how are you?
I’m great!
Remember that it’s polite to also ask the
other person how they are, too.
You can do this by simply adding you?
Or, and you?
For example:
I’m very well, and you?
I’m great!
You?
Notice that the intonation rises at the end
to show that you’re asking a question.
Now, you’ve learned some ways to answer
the question how are you, but what about the
question itself?
Like I’m fine, there are many ways to ask
how are you, and you should try to add variety
to your English when you speak.
By the way, you probably wouldn’t ask a
person you see regularly ‘how are you?’.
If you see them often it might sound strange
because nothing has changed since the last
time you saw them.
Here are a few alternatives you can use.
These are more informal, but they’re very
common in everyday situations.
How’s it going?
How’re things?
How’re you doing?
How’s life?
In informal spoken English, you should use
contractions and link words to sound natural.
So, make sure you say How’s it going, with
a contraction of is.
You can’t use the full form—How is it
going—unless you want to sound like a robot.
Similarly, how’re you doing needs to be
pronounced with a contraction of are: how’re
you doing?
You can even leave out the word are and just
say how you doing?
Next, let’s see how you can put these greetings
together in a real situation.
Hey!
How’s it going?
Pretty good thanks, you?
Yeah, not bad.
Hi, Olivier, how’re things?
Good, thanks, and you?
I’m good!
Next, let’s look at some even more informal
ways of asking or answering the question how
are you.
Here are three very informal questions you
can use to ask how are you:
How’s tricks?
What’s up?
What’s new?
Alright?
Remember that these are very informal.
That doesn’t mean they’re rude or that
you shouldn’t use them, but you can’t
use them in more formal situations.
And yes, how’s tricks is grammatically incorrect,
but that’s the phrase which people use!
These are common between friends and people
who know each other well.
Remember what you learned about linking words
earlier?
It’s also important here.
You don’t say, What is up?
You say, What’s up?
And, you don’t say, What is new?
You say, What’s new?
These different questions can also have different
responses.
Let’s look!
Alright?
Yeah, you?
Yeah, not bad.
What’s new?
Not a lot!
You?
Nothing much.
It might sound negative to you to just say
nothing, but it’s a very common expression
to say that you’re well.
Because these are very informal ways to ask
how are you, sometimes they’re used as greetings.
This means that sometimes these questions
don’t need an answer.
When using these phrases, you can simply answer
with an informal greeting, like this:
What’s up?
Hey, what’s up?
Alright?
Hey!
What else do you need to think about in these
situations?
It’s important that you continue the conversation
after you answer the how are you question.
How can you do that?
Even if you’re a master of greeting phrases
in English, that won’t help you if this happens:
Hi, how are you?
I’m fine thank you, and you?
Fine thanks.
So, what can you say after the initial greeting?
You have many choices!
Basically, you can make a statement, or ask
a question.
For example, you could tell the other person
something about yourself and your life, like
this:
Actually, work was pretty stressful, but now
I’m looking forward to…
I had a really good day today, because…
I’ve just been to…
Or there’s always the weather!
It’s really hot today, isn’t it?
It’s been so wet the last few days.
Hopefully it’ll be brighter this weekend!
British people love to talk about the weather,
if you hadn’t realised yet!
You can also ask another question, such as:
How was your day?
How’s your day going?
How was your weekend?
If you’re even more confident, or you know more
about the person you’re talking to, you
can go into more detail and ask them more
specific questions.
For example:
How was your trip to Madrid last weekend?
Did you watch the football last night?
Is your brother visiting you next week, or
is it the week after?
Now, you should know how to greet people,
how to ask and answer how are you in different
ways, and how to continue the conversation.
Let’s see how you can put everything together.
Hey, how are things?
I’m good thanks, but a little tired today:
busy at work.
How about you?
I’m well, but I’ve got a lot at work too.
How was your trip to Madrid last weekend?
Fantastic!
It’s a really great city.
What did you do last weekend?
Nothing much, just relaxed on the beach!
Very nice!
Hi, what’s new?
Not much, you?
Yeah, alright.
You look a bit tired.
Yeah, I didn’t sleep well last night.
Oh no, why not?
My neighbours had a big party and it was really
loud.
I hate it when people do that.
Yeah, me too.
Anyway, how’s your day going?
Now, it’s your turn to practice!
Imagine somebody asks how are you?
Can you write down five possible things you
could say?
Pause the video and write down your answers
now.
Ready?
Let’s look.
Of course, there are more than five possible
answers.
These are just suggestions:
I’m good.
I’m pretty good.
Not bad.
A little bit tired.
Great, thanks!
And what about different ways to ask how are
you?
What can you say?
Pause the video and write down five different
ways to ask this question.
OK?
Again, these are just suggestions.
There are many possibilities!
How’s it going?
How’re you doing?
What’s up?
How’s life?
How’re things?
And what do you do next?
Do you stop talking?
No; keep going!
Ask a question or make a statement to continue
the conversation.
Remember that you can find more great free
English lessons like this on our website:
Oxford Online English dot com.
Thanks for watching!
See you next time!