saying "How are you?"
I visited America last week.
There was something I felt awkward. (I guess this is not the right word. It was new, but strange. I felt "Oh this is the first to me")
Whenever I talk to someone (maybe not everybody), they started like "Hi, How are you?".
When I heard that, I was thinking..."What is the right answer for that?".
I heard two persons' conversation and the man said only "Good. Thank you" and that was all.
I'm curious what is no-problem-answer for this.
I'm also curious if there are several different answers according to situations, like saying hi to hotel check in person, meeting friends, meeting strangers, or meeting business partners.
I was stunned in these kinds of situations..please help me~ :)
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Corrections · 2
1
saying "How are you?"
I visited America last week.It was quite awkward for me.
Whenever I talk to someone, they would start with "Hi, How are you?"
Not knowing what to do, I would just think silently in my head, "What is the right answer for that?"
And then I heard two people talking and I have since learned how to reply to such a conversation starter.
I'm curious as to what a common answer would be in a situation like this.
I'm also curious if there are several different answers according to the context, like saying hi to a hotel staff, or when meeting friends, meeting strangers, or meeting business partners.
I am at a loss during situations like these...please help me~ :)
You can just reply, "I'm good! How are you?" and then follow up with another conversation starter like
"So what's up with you lately?"
"How is your business going?"
"What have you been up to?"
0
'How are you?' is a typical English greeting we use with people we know when we see them. However, unless the person is ill or has a problem that we know about, we don't expect a full description of what's going on in their life. So, if I met a friend, or a work colleague who I haven't seen for a while, I would say, 'Hi, how are you?' I would expect an answer like, 'I'm great thanks' or 'Good' etc. They may tell me, 'I'm okay, but I've got a cold at the moment', or something like that, but they wouldn't tell me about all of their problems. If I visited a sick friend or relative, or someone I know is having a very difficult time in life, I would expect them to tell me their problems. If I met someone for the first time, I would just say, 'Hello', I wouldn't necessarily ask 'How are you?' because I don't know them.
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