Hi Shawn--All the above answers are very good, But please remember one thing: When Americans ask how you are, they usually don't want to know. They're too much in a hurry. If you start to give details about your day or life, your American will get very uncomfortable and try to escape. On the other hand, if you know someone well and respond by saying, "so-so," be prepared to answer the next question: "Why?" Good luck, Shawn with your English! Ilene Springer, italki English teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico

I heard "How are you doing? " a lot!!

Truthfully there are a lot of ways to greet someone in English. We usually start by saying hello or a version of hello when it is someone we are meeting for the first time. For a friend any of these are applicable, but some are used more depending on the person's personal preference. 1. Hello - Standard greeting. "Hello!" "Hi!" 2. How do you do? - Greeting with more implication. Usually you want an answer. "How do you do?" "I'm doing well." 3. How's life treating you? - same as 2 but sounds more polite. "How's life treating you?" "It's treating me well!" 4. What's up? - This one is the same as 2 but more informal. There is a slang to this phrase which is just Sup. "What's up?" "Not much" I would say the most frequent greeting for a friend is What's up?, or Hey! Some other greetings: How's it hanging?, How's it been?, Long time no see, Yo, Hi, Hey, How you doing? Hope I could help a bit!

All of them but #2 are used commonly nowadays. #3 and #4 are used with people you know pretty well. #2 isn't used too much anymore.

①“Hello.” - common, but a little more formal ②“How do you do?” - more formal, usually said after "Hello" or after introducing yourself (less formal: "How are you?") ③“How’s life treating you?” - more causal, used among friends/acquaintances (usually said after a greeting) ④“What’s up? ” - very common among friends Also good greetings: -"Hi" or "Hi there!" (more casual than "Hello") -"Hey" (very common with friends, usually followed by "What's up?" or "How're you doing?") Hope that helps!