What to answer on what s up. How to respond to "How are you?", "What's up?" and other similar questions. When not to answer

Let's get acquainted with new living expressions!

Most likely, your English teacher has already taught you that the question “how are you?” you should answer “I’m fine, thank you, and you?” And you are so sure of these three phrases that you don’t even think about how they sound from the outside, and you will pronounce them when

However, this expression can be heard extremely rarely from a native speaker. Because in real life it sounds a bit "bookish" and not very natural. In addition, what to answer if everything is NOT fine with you? What words are suitable in such a situation?

Subtitles:

Charlotte: Hi. (Hello).

Ben: Hey. Good to see you. (Hello! Good to see you).

Charlotte: You too. How've you been recently? (And I love you. How are you?)

Ben: Pretty good. I just joined the football team. I'm excited! How about you? How's your new semester going? (Everything is very good. I was accepted to the football team. I am delighted! How are you? How is the new semester?)

Charlotte: Not so good. My classes are much harder this year. (Not so good. My subjects are much harder now than last year).

Ben: Don't worry, it's only the beginning of a semester. I am sure you'll catch up soon. (Don't worry, it's only the beginning of the semester. I'm sure you'll catch up soon).

Charlotte: Thanks. I will. (Thanks I'll try).

COMMENT：Usually people answer such questions in a positive way, but if you have any problems, it is not necessary to say that everything is fine (“I am fine.”) Especially if you are talking with family members or close friends, do not be afraid share what is happening in your life right now.

Subtitles:

Charlotte: How are you? (How are you?)

Ben: I've been better. (I've been better).

Charlotte: What's wrong? (What's wrong?)

Ben: I hurt my knee during the football practice yesterday. (I injured my knee at soccer practice yesterday).

Charlotte: Oh, no. Is it still hurting now? (Oh no. Does it still hurt?)

Ben: Yes, I'm afraid I won't be able to play for the next game. (Yes, I'm afraid I won't be able to play in the next match).

Charlotte: I'm so sorry. I hope you will get better soon. (I'm so sorry. I hope you get better soon).

Ben: Thanks. (Thank you).

Other options for the questionhow are you?” (How affairs? ) :

1. How is it going?
2. What's up?
3. What's happening?

Full list of answers to the question "how are you?», “ how is it going?” (How are you?):

1. Great.
2. Not bad. Not bad.
3. fine, thanks. Excellent thank you.
4. pretty good. Everything is fine.
5. Great! How are you doing? Amazing. And how are you doing?
6. I'm hanging in there. I hold on (this is about difficult circumstances)
7. I've been better. I've been better.
8. “It's going well.” (This one only works for "How's it going", but not for "How are you?") Everything is going well. (But you can only answer the question “How’s it going” in this way, you cannot answer the question “How are you?”).

Full list of answers to the question "What‘ s up?” (what's new?):

1. Nothing much. Nothing special.
2. Not a lot. Everything is old.
3. Oh, just the usual. Nothing new (everything is normal).
4. Oh gosh, all kinds of stuff! God, so much has happened!

When not to answer:

One more thing to know: all of these questions can be used to just say "Hello". In this case, you do not need to talk about yourself. It's better to just answer with any other greeting.

Have you noticed that all conversations among English speakers begin with the phrases “How are you?”, “What’s up?”, “How’s it going?” and so on. However, not everyone knows how to answer these questions correctly. In this article, you will find enough information and learn how to easily, almost automatically select the right words and expressions to answer the main greeting phrases-questions of the interlocutor.

Here you have a lot of options, it all depends on the current state of affairs, since this question translates to “How are you (are you)?” or "How are you?" Therefore, answer exactly how you are doing. And in English it might look like this:

Fine. Great.

The simplest and most direct answer. If you limit yourself to just this word, then the interlocutor may decide that you are not going to continue the conversation with him. In general, now you understand how to respond to show that you are not in the mood to talk to a certain person.

Not bad. Not bad.

This answer already sounds more friendly than "fine".

fine, thanks. Excellent thank you.

This is a formal answer. This way you can respond to someone you don't know. For example, a waiter in a restaurant.

Very well, thanks. Very good thanks.

A person who loves all sorts of grammatical norms and rules is likely to answer that way. From a technical point of view, the question "How ...?" (How ...?) you need to answer with an adverb. However, many English speakers, simply put, do not care. Those who are used to following everything that is written in textbooks insist on the use of grammatically correct constructions.

pretty good. Pretty good.

If grammar is somehow on your drum, you can answer "Good" or "Pretty good". This is the more common and much more natural answer. That is exactly what most ordinary people say.

Great! How are you doing? Amazing! And how are you?

This is such a rather enthusiastic and joyful response. If you want to continue the conversation, it is always better to ask counter questions to the interlocutor.

I'm hanging in there. So-so (neither bad nor good).

So you can answer if you had a hard day.

I've been better. It's been better.

A: How are you? How are you?

B: I've been better . It's been better.

A: What's wrong? What's wrong? (What's happened?)

B: I just found out that I'm being laid off. I just found out that I was fired.

How to answer a question How's it going?

This question is similar to "How are you?". The meaning is the same - "How are things going?". All of the answers discussed above also apply to "How's it going?".

And here is another answer to the question “How’s it going?”, Which is no longer suitable for “How are you?”.

It's going well. Everything is fine. (Verb.: it's going well).

This is a friendly and correct answer, which is suitable for colleagues, clients and acquaintances whom you have not seen for a while.

How to answer What's up?

This is probably one of the most difficult questions for those who study English, because so many people are interested in how to answer it correctly.

It is similar to the question "What's happening in your life?" (What is going on in your life?). But no one is forcing you to be honest. If you don't want to have a long conversation, you can use one of the standard responses:

nothing much . Nothing special.

This is the most common option. You can supplement it with some interesting details that occur (if any). For example, " Nothing much. Just getting ready for Tom's graduation(Nothing special, just getting ready for Tom's graduation).

Not a lot.

This is another very common answer. The meaning is the same, but it's a little fresher than "Nothing much" because it's used a little less often.

nothing. Nothing.

As short and specific as possible. You may sound rude or angry when you answer like this.

Oh, just the usual. Everything is as usual.

Answer like this if you do the same thing every day, and nothing, in principle, changes.

Just the same old same old. Everything is the same, everything is the same.

This expression means that you are doing the same thing every day, and you are a little tired of it.

Oh gosh, all kinds of stuff! Yes, a whole lot!

You have been very busy and something interesting has happened in your life recently.

How to answer a question What's happening?

This question means the same as What's up?, so the answers to it can be used the same as discussed above.

Now you know many answers to the basic welcome questions on English language. You can use any of them according to the situation. Don't forget that you can improvise and come up with your own answers, because no one likes "robots" that communicate in a learned pattern. No one is forcing you to speak using only a certain set of words. We are all human and we talk the way we want.

But still, consider grammatical rules and norms in certain situations, do not overdo it with naturalness. In everyday friendly conversations, all the rules are sometimes forgotten, so don't be surprised to hear another new phrase or word. Just try to grasp the general concept, and then everything will go by itself.

Greetings in English is a very simple topic when taught at school, but quite tricky when it comes to communicating with foreigners, especially abroad, where you often have to say hello to strangers.

Many people have doubts about how to answer questions that are inseparable from greetings like “How are you?”, “How are you doing?”, “What’s up?” It turns out that, for example, Americans respond to the question “How are you doing?” they can briefly say how they are doing (“Good!”), or they can answer with the same question. So how is it right?

Greetings in English and questions like “How are you?”

Right and so, and so, depending on the situation.

Greetings in English usually consist of two parts:

1. The greeting itself, for example: Hello.
2. A question like “How are you?”, for example: How are you?

In most cases, a question like “How are you?” - this is just a politeness formula, a formal answer is expected from you, not a detailed one. Although it all depends on the context. If you greet a colleague who walks by with a stack of papers and a puzzled expression on his face, then he definitely does not expect news from you, and if in a relaxed atmosphere with a friend who has not been seen for a couple of months, then you can chat.

In addition, it often happens that the question “How are you?” - it's not at all not a question but a greeting, and in response you just need to say hello. This is the case when the phrase “How are doing” is answered with “How are you doing” (in this case, the phrase usually sounds like a statement, not a question).

Here are some greetings.

• hello– neutral “hello” or “hello”. Appropriate in any situation, so you can say hello to a friend, boss, doctor, president. Also "hello" is "hello" in .
• Hi- a more friendly option, "hello." So you can say hello to friends, relatives, strangers, but it is not suitable for a strict official setting.
• hey- a very informal "hello", something like our "great!" Note that hey can be both an attention-grabbing “hey” call and a greeting.
• Greetings related to the time of day. A neutral way of greeting, so you can say to a colleague, and a friend, and in a formal setting.
  • good morning- Good morning.
  • good afternoon- Good afternoon.
  • good evening- Good evening.
  • note that good night- this is not a night greeting, but a good night wish.

Now let's take the "Hi" greeting and add the "How are you?"

Hi! How are you? - "How are you?"

A universal question that is suitable for any setting, formal and informal. When answering this question, it is customary to add “thank you” or “thanks” (this is not always done) before or after the answer and then also be interested in how the interlocutor is doing:

• Very well, thank you. How are you? is a very formal way to answer this question.
• I'm fine, thank you! How are you?
• Not bad, and you?
• Good! Thanks! And you? (the answer “good” here is not quite grammatically correct, but that's what they say).
• Thanks, I'm ok. And you?
• Great! Thanks! How are you?

Hi! How is it going? / How are you doing? – “How are you doing?”, “How are you?”

When answering this question, you do not need to get hung up on the fact that it contains the verb in, and be sure to try to answer with the verb in this form as well. You can answer in exactly the same way as the question “How are you?”:

• Thanks, good. And you?
• Fine, how are you?
• etc.

Hi! What's up? - "What's new?"

A very popular greeting option, especially among young people. How to respond to "What's up?". If this is a question, you can do this:

• Nothing much.
• Not too much.
• nothing new.
• nothing.
• same old.
• Same old, same old.

They all mean about the same thing: nothing special.

But in most cases, “What’s up?” is not a question to be answered, but simply a greeting.

When you don't need to say how you're doing

All of the above questions can be used not as questions to be answered, but simply as greetings. This is especially true for "What's up". In most cases, when you are told “Hey, what’s up?” - this is not a question, but just a greeting, as if you were simply told “Hey” or “Hi”.

The dialogue might look like this:

Colleagues walk past each other in the corridor, both in a hurry.

- Hey, what's up.

- What's up / Hi / How are you doing.

And they fled.

Another variant.

You have entered the store. The seller, pushing a trolley with goods in front of him, waved his hand and, smiling, greeted:

– Hi, how are you doing,- and rolled on, not waiting for an answer.

– How are you doing, You answered and went about your business.

Here's how you can tell a question from a greeting:

• The man who said hello was walking somewhere past, said hello just for the sake of decency and went on without waiting for an answer.
• They called out an unintelligible “How you doin” to you, waving a hand in greeting.
• Intonation as in an affirmative sentence, not an interrogative one. In the examples, I deliberately did not put question marks at the end of the sentences.

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