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Oxford Online English, 5 Tips for English Greetings and Responses - How to Ask and Answer "How are you?"

5 Tips for English Greetings and Responses - How to Ask and Answer "How are you?"

Hi!

I'm Olivier, welcome to Oxford Online English!

When you started learning English, I'm fine is probably one of the first things you learnt.

It's a simple way of answering the question How are you?

Fine is, well, fine!

But if you use it all the time, it can get very repetitive, and a little boring.

Does this look familiar to anyone?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

I think you get the idea.

Even with very simple language, it's better if your language is varied.

So, how can you make this more interesting?

Here are a few ideas.

Hi, how are you?

I'm good, thanks, you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm pretty good.

Hi, how are you?

I'm OK.

Hi, how are you?

Not bad, thanks.

Hi, how are you?

I'm very well.

Hi, how are you?

I'm great!

Remember that it's polite to also ask the other person how they are, too.

You can do this by simply adding you?

Or, and you?

For example:

I'm very well, and you?

I'm great!

You?

Notice that the intonation rises at the end to show that you're asking a question.

Now, you've learned some ways to answer the question how are you, but what about the

question itself?

Like I'm fine, there are many ways to ask how are you, and you should try to add variety

to your English when you speak.

By the way, you probably wouldn't ask a person you see regularly ‘how are you?'.

If you see them often it might sound strange because nothing has changed since the last

time you saw them.

Here are a few alternatives you can use.

These are more informal, but they're very common in everyday situations.

How's it going?

How're things?

How're you doing?

How's life?

In informal spoken English, you should use contractions and link words to sound natural.

So, make sure you say How's it going, with a contraction of is.

You can't use the full form—How is it going—unless you want to sound like a robot.

Similarly, how're you doing needs to be pronounced with a contraction of are: how're

you doing?

You can even leave out the word are and just say how you doing?

Next, let's see how you can put these greetings together in a real situation.

Hey!

How's it going?

Pretty good thanks, you?

Yeah, not bad.

Hi, Olivier, how're things?

Good, thanks, and you?

I'm good!

Next, let's look at some even more informal ways of asking or answering the question how

are you.

Here are three very informal questions you can use to ask how are you:

How's tricks?

What's up?

What's new?

Alright?

Remember that these are very informal.

That doesn't mean they're rude or that you shouldn't use them, but you can't

use them in more formal situations.

And yes, how's tricks is grammatically incorrect, but that's the phrase which people use!

These are common between friends and people who know each other well.

Remember what you learned about linking words earlier?

It's also important here.

You don't say, What is up?

You say, What's up?

And, you don't say, What is new?

You say, What's new?

These different questions can also have different responses.

Let's look!

Alright?

Yeah, you?

Yeah, not bad.

What's new?

Not a lot!

You?

Nothing much.

It might sound negative to you to just say nothing, but it's a very common expression

to say that you're well.

Because these are very informal ways to ask how are you, sometimes they're used as greetings.

This means that sometimes these questions don't need an answer.

When using these phrases, you can simply answer with an informal greeting, like this:

What's up?

Hey, what's up?

Alright?

Hey!

What else do you need to think about in these situations?

It's important that you continue the conversation after you answer the how are you question.

How can you do that?

Even if you're a master of greeting phrases in English, that won't help you if this happens:

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Fine thanks.

So, what can you say after the initial greeting?

You have many choices!

Basically, you can make a statement, or ask a question.

For example, you could tell the other person something about yourself and your life, like

this:

Actually, work was pretty stressful, but now I'm looking forward to…

I had a really good day today, because…

I've just been to…

Or there's always the weather!

It's really hot today, isn't it?

It's been so wet the last few days.

Hopefully it'll be brighter this weekend!

British people love to talk about the weather, if you hadn't realised yet!

You can also ask another question, such as:

How was your day?

How's your day going?

How was your weekend?

If you're even more confident, or you know more about the person you're talking to, you

can go into more detail and ask them more specific questions.

For example:

How was your trip to Madrid last weekend?

Did you watch the football last night?

Is your brother visiting you next week, or is it the week after?

Now, you should know how to greet people, how to ask and answer how are you in different

ways, and how to continue the conversation.

Let's see how you can put everything together.

Hey, how are things?

I'm good thanks, but a little tired today: busy at work.

How about you?

I'm well, but I've got a lot at work too.

How was your trip to Madrid last weekend?

Fantastic!

It's a really great city.

What did you do last weekend?

Nothing much, just relaxed on the beach!

Very nice!

Hi, what's new?

Not much, you?

Yeah, alright.

You look a bit tired.

Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night.

Oh no, why not?

My neighbours had a big party and it was really loud.

I hate it when people do that.

Yeah, me too.

Anyway, how's your day going?

Now, it's your turn to practice!

Imagine somebody asks how are you?

Can you write down five possible things you could say?

Pause the video and write down your answers now.

Ready?

Let's look.

Of course, there are more than five possible answers.

These are just suggestions:

I'm good.

I'm pretty good.

Not bad.

A little bit tired.

Great, thanks!

And what about different ways to ask how are you?

What can you say?

Pause the video and write down five different ways to ask this question.

OK?

Again, these are just suggestions.

There are many possibilities!

How's it going?

How're you doing?

What's up?

How's life?

How're things?

And what do you do next?

Do you stop talking?

No; keep going!

Ask a question or make a statement to continue the conversation.

Remember that you can find more great free English lessons like this on our website:

Oxford Online English dot com.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!

Learn languages from TV shows, movies, news, articles and more! Try LingQ for FREE

5 Tips for English Greetings and Responses - How to Ask and Answer "How are you?" |||||Replies|||||||| 5 tipů pro anglické pozdravy a odpovědi - Jak se ptát a odpovídat "Jak se máš?" 5 Tipps für englische Begrüßungen und Antworten - Wie man "How are you?" fragt und beantwortet 5 consejos para saludar y responder en inglés - Cómo preguntar y responder "¿Cómo estás?" 5 conseils pour les salutations et les réponses en anglais - Comment demander et répondre à "How are you ? 5 consigli per i saluti e le risposte in inglese - Come chiedere e rispondere a "How are you?". 英語の挨拶と返事の5つのコツ - "How are you? "の尋ね方と答え方 영어 인사와 응답을 위한 5가지 팁 - "안녕하세요?"라고 묻고 답하는 방법 5 Tips voor Engelse begroetingen en antwoorden - Hoe vraag en antwoord je "Hoe gaat het?"? 5 wskazówek dotyczących powitań i odpowiedzi w języku angielskim - jak zapytać i odpowiedzieć na pytanie "Jak się masz?" 5 dicas para cumprimentos e respostas em inglês - Como perguntar e responder "How are you?" 5 советов по английским приветствиям и ответам - Как спросить и ответить на вопрос "Как дела?" İngilizce Selamlaşma ve Yanıtlama için 5 İpucu - "How are you?" Nasıl Sorulur ve Yanıtlanır? 5 порад щодо привітань і відповідей англійською мовою - як запитати і відповісти "Як справи?" 英语问候和回应的 5 个技巧 - 如何询问和回答“How are you?”

Hi!

I'm Olivier, welcome to Oxford Online English!

When you started learning English, I'm fine is probably one of the first things you learnt. Když jste se začali učit angličtinu, I'm fajn je pravděpodobně jedna z prvních věcí, kterou jste se naučili. Коли ви почали вивчати англійську, я в порядку, мабуть, одна з перших речей, які ви дізналися.

It's a simple way of answering the question How are you? Je to jednoduchý způsob, jak odpovědět na otázku Jak se máš?

Fine is, well, fine! Dobře, dobře, dobře! Добре, добре, добре!

But if you use it all the time, it can get very repetitive, and a little boring. Ale pokud to používáte pořád, může se to velmi opakovat a trochu nudit. Але якщо ви використовуєте його постійно, це може стати дуже повторюваним і трохи нудним.

Does this look familiar to anyone? 这||||| Připadá to někomu povědomé? Комусь це здається знайомим?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Hi, how are you?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

I think you get the idea. Myslím, že chápete. Я думаю, ви зрозуміли ідею.

Even with very simple language, it's better if your language is varied. I s velmi jednoduchým jazykem je lepší, když je váš jazyk rozmanitý. Навіть з дуже простою мовою, краще, якщо ваша мова буде різноманітною.

So, how can you make this more interesting? Jak to tedy udělat zajímavější?

Here are a few ideas. Zde je několik nápadů.

Hi, how are you? Hallo, wie geht es dir?

I'm good, thanks, you? Mir geht es gut danke?

Hi, how are you? Hallo, wie geht es dir?

I'm pretty good. Jsem celkem dobrý. Ich bin ziemlich gut.

Hi, how are you? Hallo, wie geht es dir?

I'm OK. Ich bin OK.

Hi, how are you?

Not bad, thanks. To není špatné, díky.

Hi, how are you?

I'm very well.

Hi, how are you?

I'm great! Ich bin großartig!

Remember that it's polite to also ask the other person how they are, too. Pamatujte, že je zdvořilé zeptat se také druhé osoby, jak se má. Denken Sie daran, dass es höflich ist, die andere Person auch zu fragen, wie es ihr geht. Пам’ятайте, що ввічливо також запитати іншу людину, як вона.

You can do this by simply adding you? Můžete to udělat tak, že si vás jednoduše přidáte? Ви можете зробити це, просто додавши вас?

Or, and you?

For example:

I'm very well, and you?

I'm great!

You?

Notice that the intonation rises at the end to show that you're asking a question. |||pitch variation|increases|||||||||| Všimněte si, že intonace na konci stoupá, aby bylo vidět, že se ptáte. Beachten Sie, dass die Intonation am Ende ansteigt, um zu zeigen, dass Sie eine Frage stellen. Зверніть увагу, що в кінці інтонація підвищується, щоб показати, що ви ставите питання.

Now, you've learned some ways to answer the question how are you, but what about the

question itself? samotná otázka? Frage selbst? саме питання?

Like I'm fine, there are many ways to ask how are you, and you should try to add variety Jako já jsem v pořádku, existuje mnoho způsobů, jak se zeptat, jak se máš, a měli byste se pokusit o zpestření Зі мною все добре, є багато способів запитати, як справи, і ви повинні спробувати внести різноманітність

to your English when you speak.

By the way, you probably wouldn't ask a person you see regularly ‘how are you?'. Mimochodem, asi byste se nezeptali člověka, kterého pravidelně vídáte, „jak se máš?“. Übrigens würden Sie eine Person, die Sie regelmäßig sehen, wahrscheinlich nicht fragen: „Wie geht es Ihnen?“. До речі, ви, мабуть, не запитали б людину, з якою регулярно бачитеся, «як справи?».

If you see them often it might sound strange because nothing has changed since the last Якщо ви бачите їх часто, це може здатися дивним, тому що з останнього часу нічого не змінилося

time you saw them. Zeit, als du sie gesehen hast.

Here are a few alternatives you can use. ||||替代方案||| ||||options|||

These are more informal, but they're very common in everyday situations. Вони більш неформальні, але вони дуже поширені в повсякденних ситуаціях.

How's it going? Як поживаєш?

How're things? Wie geht's? Як справи?

How're you doing? Wie geht es Ihnen? Як справи?

How's life? Wie ist das Leben? Як життя?

In informal spoken English, you should use contractions and link words to sound natural. Im informellen gesprochenen Englisch solltest du Kontraktionen verwenden und Wörter verbinden, um natürlich zu klingen. У неформальній розмовній англійській мові ви повинні використовувати скорочення та зв’язувати слова, щоб звучати природно.

So, make sure you say How's it going, with a contraction of is. Stellen Sie also sicher, dass Sie How's it going mit einer Kontraktion von is sagen. Тому обов’язково скажіть «Як справи» зі скороченням is.

You can't use the full form—How is it going—unless you want to sound like a robot. |||||||||||||||||automated speaker Sie können nicht die vollständige Form—Wie geht's—verwenden, es sei denn, Sie möchten wie ein Roboter klingen. Ви не можете використовувати повну форму — Як справи — якщо ви не хочете звучати як робот.

Similarly, how're you doing needs to be pronounced with a contraction of are: how're Аналогічно, how're you doing потрібно вимовляти зі скороченням are: how're

you doing?

You can even leave out the word are and just say how you doing? Ви навіть можете пропустити це слово і просто сказати, як у вас справи?

Next, let's see how you can put these greetings together in a real situation. Sehen wir uns als Nächstes an, wie Sie diese Grüße in einer realen Situation zusammenstellen können. Далі давайте подивимося, як можна поєднати ці привітання в реальній ситуації.

Hey!

How's it going?

Pretty good thanks, you?

Yeah, not bad.

Hi, Olivier, how're things? Hallo, Olivier, wie geht's?

Good, thanks, and you?

I'm good!

Next, let's look at some even more informal ways of asking or answering the question how Далі, давайте розглянемо деякі ще більш неформальні способи задати чи відповісти на питання як

are you.

Here are three very informal questions you can use to ask how are you:

How's tricks? 怎么样|近况 Wie geht Tricks? Як трюки?

What's up? Was ist los? Naber? Як справи?

What's new? Was gibt's Neues? Що нового?

Alright? добре

Remember that these are very informal. Bunların çok gayri resmi olduğunu unutmayın. Пам’ятайте, що вони дуже неформальні.

That doesn't mean they're rude or that you shouldn't use them, but you can't Bu, kaba oldukları veya onları kullanmamanız gerektiği anlamına gelmez, ancak kullanamazsınız. Це не означає, що вони грубі або що ви не повинні ними користуватися, але ви не можете

use them in more formal situations. onları daha resmi durumlarda kullanın.

And yes, how's tricks is grammatically incorrect, but that's the phrase which people use! Und ja, How's Tricks ist grammatikalisch falsch, aber das ist der Ausdruck, den die Leute benutzen! Ve evet, how's tricks dilbilgisi açısından yanlış ama insanların kullandığı ifade bu!

These are common between friends and people who know each other well. Bunlar arkadaşlar ve birbirini iyi tanıyan insanlar arasında yaygındır. Це спільне між друзями та людьми, які добре знають один одного.

Remember what you learned about linking words earlier? Erinnern Sie sich, was Sie zuvor über das Verknüpfen von Wörtern gelernt haben? Daha önce kelimeleri bağlama hakkında ne öğrendiğini hatırlıyor musun? Пам’ятаєте, що ви дізналися про зв’язування слів раніше?

It's also important here. Burada da önemlidir. Тут також важливо.

You don't say, What is up? Ne haber? Ви не кажете, що сталося?

You say, What's up? Du sagst, was ist los? N'aber diyorsun?

And, you don't say, What is new?

You say, What's new? Sie sagen: Was gibt es Neues? Yeni ne var diyorsun.

These different questions can also have different responses. Diese unterschiedlichen Fragen können auch unterschiedliche Antworten haben. Bu farklı soruların farklı yanıtları da olabilir. Ці різні запитання також можуть мати різні відповіді.

Let's look! Haydi bakalım!

Alright? Peki?

Yeah, you? Ja Sie?

Yeah, not bad. Ja, nicht schlecht. Evet kötü değil.

What's new? Ne var ne yok?

Not a lot! Nicht viel! Çok değil!

You? Sen?

Nothing much. Nicht viel.

It might sound negative to you to just say nothing, but it's a very common expression 这||||||||||||||| Hiçbir şey söylememek size olumsuz gelebilir ama bu çok yaygın bir ifadedir. Для вас може здатися негативним просто нічого не сказати, але це дуже поширений вираз

to say that you're well. |说||| zu sagen, dass es dir gut geht. iyi olduğunu söylemek için сказати, що тобі добре.

Because these are very informal ways to ask how are you, sometimes they're used as greetings. |||||||||||||使用|| Da dies sehr informelle Arten sind, um zu fragen, wie es dir geht, werden sie manchmal als Begrüßung verwendet. Bunlar nasılsın diye sormanın gayri resmi yolları olduğundan, bazen selamlama olarak kullanılırlar.

This means that sometimes these questions don't need an answer. Bu, bazen bu soruların bir cevaba ihtiyaç duymadığı anlamına gelir.

When using these phrases, you can simply answer with an informal greeting, like this: Bu ifadeleri kullanırken, aşağıdaki gibi resmi olmayan bir selamlamayla yanıt verebilirsiniz:

What's up? Was ist los?

Hey, what's up? Привіт як ти?

Alright? добре

Hey!

What else do you need to think about in these situations? Woran müssen Sie in diesen Situationen noch denken? Bu durumlarda başka ne düşünmeniz gerekiyor?

It's important that you continue the conversation after you answer the how are you question. |||||||||继续对话||||| Es ist wichtig, dass Sie das Gespräch fortsetzen, nachdem Sie die Frage „Wie geht es Ihnen?“ beantwortet haben. Важливо, щоб ви продовжили розмову після того, як відповісте на запитання, як справи.

How can you do that? Wie können Sie das tun?

Even if you're a master of greeting phrases in English, that won't help you if this happens: Auch wenn Sie ein Meister der Begrüßungsformeln auf Englisch sind, hilft Ihnen das in diesem Fall nicht weiter: İngilizce selamlama ifadelerinde usta olsanız bile, aşağıdaki durumlarda bunun size yardımı olmaz: Навіть якщо ви майстер привітань англійською мовою, це не допоможе вам, якщо це станеться:

Hi, how are you? Merhaba nasılsın?

I'm fine thank you, and you?

Fine thanks. Gerne, danke.

So, what can you say after the initial greeting? |||||||初步| |||||||first| Was können Sie also nach der ersten Begrüßung sagen? Отже, що ви можете сказати після першого привітання?

You have many choices! Du hast viele Möglichkeiten! У вас є багато варіантів!

Basically, you can make a statement, or ask a question. |||||declaration|||| Grundsätzlich können Sie eine Aussage machen oder eine Frage stellen. Temel olarak, bir açıklama yapabilir veya bir soru sorabilirsiniz. По суті, ви можете зробити заяву або поставити запитання.

For example, you could tell the other person something about yourself and your life, like Örneğin, diğer kişiye kendiniz ve hayatınız hakkında bir şeyler anlatabilirsiniz.

this:

Actually, work was pretty stressful, but now I'm looking forward to… Eigentlich war die Arbeit ziemlich stressig, aber jetzt freue ich mich auf… Aslında, iş oldukça stresliydi, ama şimdi dört gözle bekliyorum… Насправді, робота була досить напруженою, але тепер я з нетерпінням чекаю…

I had a really good day today, because… Ich hatte heute einen wirklich guten Tag, weil…

I've just been to… Ich war gerade in … Я щойно був у…

Or there's always the weather! Oder es gibt immer das Wetter! Або завжди є погода!

It's really hot today, isn't it? Es ist heute wirklich heiß, nicht wahr?

It's been so wet the last few days. Die letzten Tage war es so nass.

Hopefully it'll be brighter this weekend! |||more sunny|| Hoffentlich wird es dieses Wochenende heller! Сподіваюся, на цих вихідних буде яскравіше! 希望這個週末會更加明亮!

British people love to talk about the weather, if you hadn't realised yet! |||||||||||意识到| Briten lieben es, über das Wetter zu sprechen, falls Sie es noch nicht bemerkt haben! Британці люблять говорити про погоду, якщо ви ще не зрозуміли!

You can also ask another question, such as:

How was your day?

How's your day going? Wie läuft dein Tag?

How was your weekend? Wie war dein Wochenende?

If you're even more confident, or you know more about the person you're talking to, you Wenn Sie noch selbstbewusster sind oder mehr über die Person wissen, mit der Sie sprechen, Sie Якщо ви ще більш впевнені в собі або знаєте більше про людину, з якою розмовляєте, то ви

can go into more detail and ask them more specific questions.

For example:

How was your trip to Madrid last weekend? Wie war deine Reise nach Madrid letztes Wochenende?

Did you watch the football last night?

Is your brother visiting you next week, or is it the week after? 是|||||||还是|||||

Now, you should know how to greet people, how to ask and answer how are you in different

ways, and how to continue the conversation.

Let's see how you can put everything together. Mal sehen, wie Sie alles zusammenfügen können. Давайте подивимося, як можна все зібрати.

Hey, how are things? Hallo, wie geht's? Гей, як справи?

I'm good thanks, but a little tired today: busy at work. Mir geht es gut, aber heute etwas müde: beschäftigt bei der Arbeit.

How about you? 你||

I'm well, but I've got a lot at work too. Mir geht es gut, aber ich habe auch viel zu tun.

How was your trip to Madrid last weekend?

Fantastic!

It's a really great city.

What did you do last weekend?

Nothing much, just relaxed on the beach! Nicht viel, nur entspannt am Strand!

Very nice!

Hi, what's new?

Not much, you?

Yeah, alright. Ja, in Ordnung.

You look a bit tired.

Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night.

Oh no, why not?

My neighbours had a big party and it was really loud.

I hate it when people do that. أنا أكره عندما يفعل الناس ذلك.

Yeah, me too.

Anyway, how's your day going? У всякому разі, як проходить ваш день?

Now, it's your turn to practice! Jetzt sind Sie an der Reihe zu üben!

Imagine somebody asks how are you? Уявіть, хтось запитає, як справи?

Can you write down five possible things you could say?

Pause the video and write down your answers now.

Ready?

Let's look.

Of course, there are more than five possible answers.

These are just suggestions: Це лише пропозиції:

I'm good.

I'm pretty good.

Not bad.

A little bit tired.

Great, thanks!

And what about different ways to ask how are you?

What can you say?

Pause the video and write down five different ways to ask this question.

OK?

Again, these are just suggestions.

There are many possibilities!

How's it going?

How're you doing?

What's up?

How's life? Wie ist das Leben?

How're things? Wie geht's?

And what do you do next? Und was machst du als nächstes?

Do you stop talking? Hörst du auf zu reden?

No; keep going! Nein; Mach weiter! Ні; продовжувати йти!

Ask a question or make a statement to continue the conversation. Stellen Sie eine Frage oder geben Sie eine Erklärung ab, um das Gespräch fortzusetzen.

Remember that you can find more great free English lessons like this on our website: Пам’ятайте, що на нашому веб-сайті ви можете знайти більше чудових безкоштовних уроків англійської мови:

Oxford Online English dot com.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!