Some people pronounce “What are you up to?” as “Whatcha up to?” Group 3 Responses Not much. / Not much, how about you?

How are you? This is polite, but it’s not necessarily a serious inquiry about the other person’s well-being.

12 Ways to Ask ‘How Are You’ in Casual English Conversation

These are all common ways of saying “hello” in a casual, friendly way, and quite often, these are immediately followed by a question such as…

But none of them really ask, how are you? When those questions get asked in a greeting, we don’t really expect a lengthy conversation about how you’re doing.

More Espresso English Lessons:

Let’s transition to situations in which we may need more formal or business professional language in English. Some common examples include 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. While not as common as hi or hey, you may occasionally hear “yo.” It is typically only used with individuals who know each other well and is more common To be particularly respectful, you can also include the person’s last name, for example: “ Good morning, Ms Jones .” If you know someone well, you can also use their first name.

B: Hi Sue, what’s up? I’ve just been busy, working a lot of long hours. What about you? How have you been? What’s new with you? You want to know what changes have occurred in a person’s life, typically focusing on the positives. When you are greeting a group of people – for example at a meeting – you can also say something such as: In other words, you exchange one greeting with a similar greeting. No one shares specific details about how they are feeling or what is happening in their life.

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Perhaps it was a stranger you walked past in your neighborhood. Or someone you’ve seen at work once or twice but you don’t really know. It’s often confused with the question “How are you?” but it isn’t a question at all. How do you do is a statement. A greeting. It’s an alternative to “I’m pleased to meet you.”

In an effort to be friendly and polite, it’s not uncommon for an English speaker to casually greet a friend, a neighbor, an acquaintance, or even a stranger with a greeting such as 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. Who are ya?” seems a popular chant or taunt with English football fans, both on and off the stands. Is it a fair assessment that it means to diminish the opposition as unknown and insignificant? Why it works: It’s polite, shows interest in their general well-being, and gets to the point (there’s a lot you don’t know, and you want the highlights). It’s not an invitation to talk about your day, how you’re feeling, or what’s happening at work right now.How do you do is a bit old-fashioned and not often used. In fact, I’m not sure if I’ve ever used it. This is the most formal way to say hello in casual conversation but it’s also very friendly and warm. With this combination of formality and warmth, it’s perfect to use when passing by a stranger on a morning walk, greeting a neighbor, or saying hello to coworkers. And you’ll l earn a common structure of English greetings – most of the time, we don’t stop with a simple hello. Similar to the casual greetings we discussed, we’ll often start a professional conversation with a simple hi or hello. 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?)