- Joined
- Oct 13, 2017
- Posts
- 25,954
- Solutions
- 6
- Reaction
- 66,410
- Points
- 16,634
No matter where you go, one question always seems to follow: How are you?
There are many ways to ask this fundamental question, but how you phrase it can imply different things. For example:
1 How are you? This is polite, but it’s not necessarily a serious inquiry about the other person’s well-being.
2 How are you doing? This is a direct inquiry about how a person is feeling in general.
3 Are you OK? The meaning of this phrase depends on the context. In England, for example, this simply means “How are you?” while Americans may use this phrase to check if someone requires assistance.
4 How’s it going? This is casual. You’re asking how a person’s life has been lately, in a more general sense.
5 What’s up? This is essentially a casual hello.
6 Would you like to talk about X? This is an empathetic inquiry about a potentially sensitive event or aspect of a person’s life—with the built-in option for them to decline.
7 What’s new with you? You want to know what changes have occurred in a person’s life, typically focusing on the positives.
8 Long time no see! This is a casual acknowledgment of a lengthy absence. It conveys happiness or excitement about your reunion.
9 What have you been up to since we last talked? You’re looking for an overview of what a person has done since your last conversation, and it could be about a problem they were dealing with at the time.
Each of these conveys a different tone, and the results can vary. And using the wrong phrase could come off as awkward—or even insensitive in extreme circumstances. So it pays to know when they work, but especially when they don’t.
When is it appropriate to use variations of “How are you?”
Beyond tone, there are a few factors you should consider when picking the appropriate way to ask “How are you?” For instance:
Level of familiarity with the person you’re addressing (this dictates how familiar or formal you should be with them)
General relationship (friend, family member, colleague, acquaintance, etc.)
Context of the conversation (how long it’s been since you saw them, what you last spoke about, etc.)
What information you want to know (for example, do you see it as a passing conversation, or do you want a more in-depth dialogue with specific details?)
excerpt from Grammarly
There are many ways to ask this fundamental question, but how you phrase it can imply different things. For example:
1 How are you? This is polite, but it’s not necessarily a serious inquiry about the other person’s well-being.
2 How are you doing? This is a direct inquiry about how a person is feeling in general.
3 Are you OK? The meaning of this phrase depends on the context. In England, for example, this simply means “How are you?” while Americans may use this phrase to check if someone requires assistance.
4 How’s it going? This is casual. You’re asking how a person’s life has been lately, in a more general sense.
5 What’s up? This is essentially a casual hello.
6 Would you like to talk about X? This is an empathetic inquiry about a potentially sensitive event or aspect of a person’s life—with the built-in option for them to decline.
7 What’s new with you? You want to know what changes have occurred in a person’s life, typically focusing on the positives.
8 Long time no see! This is a casual acknowledgment of a lengthy absence. It conveys happiness or excitement about your reunion.
9 What have you been up to since we last talked? You’re looking for an overview of what a person has done since your last conversation, and it could be about a problem they were dealing with at the time.
Each of these conveys a different tone, and the results can vary. And using the wrong phrase could come off as awkward—or even insensitive in extreme circumstances. So it pays to know when they work, but especially when they don’t.
When is it appropriate to use variations of “How are you?”
Beyond tone, there are a few factors you should consider when picking the appropriate way to ask “How are you?” For instance:
Level of familiarity with the person you’re addressing (this dictates how familiar or formal you should be with them)
General relationship (friend, family member, colleague, acquaintance, etc.)
Context of the conversation (how long it’s been since you saw them, what you last spoke about, etc.)
What information you want to know (for example, do you see it as a passing conversation, or do you want a more in-depth dialogue with specific details?)
excerpt from Grammarly