8 ways to say “How are you?” in English

Do you want to learn new ways to say How are you in English ? This is a question people ask all the time. When we meet someone , when we meet a colleague at work and especially when we meet our friends. It can be a bit repetitive to always ask the same question: How are you? , so you can rephrase it in many other ways. In this article, learn how to ask “how are you” in English.

Basic ways to say “How are you?” in English

How are you?

We cannot ignore this question. It is one of the most basic phrases in English   and can be used in any context. With friends, colleagues, your boss, your teacher..., it is always correct. The usual response in the English-speaking world is Fine, thanks or Good, thanks . We would respond this way even if the world was collapsing around us. So How are you? is not always a question that invites an honest answer.

How's it going?

How's it going? is a little more informal than How are you? , but it's also a very good phrase that you can use with most people. In English-speaking countries, you can ask this question to someone more senior than you, for example your boss, as long as you have a good relationship with them. And, once again, the usual response is: Good, thanks , even if it is not true.

How's everything?/How are things?

This is a question you would ask someone you know. It implies that you know at least a little about his life and that you don't mind hearing about it. So you could ask a colleague: How's everything? , and he could answer you: All good, thanks. That project I was working on …

What's been going on?

This is another good question to ask someone you know. Prompt them to tell you a little about their life and what has happened since you last saw them. So you are more likely to hear an honest answer to this question than if you ask How are you?

Formal ways to say “How are you?”

Are you well?

People who ask this question just expect you to say: Yes, I'm very well, thanks or something similar. Are you well? It doesn't invite a long, in-depth answer, unless the questioner is someone close to you but very old-fashioned.

How are you keeping?

How are you keeping? It's old-fashioned and certainly more British than American. You can answer: I'm keeping well , but this is very very old-fashioned, so the best thing is to say: Very well, thank you or something like that.

Ways to say “How are you?” between friends

What's up?

This is an informal way to ask a friend how they are. If you ask a friend or close colleague: What's up? , I could give you a long or short answer. The dialogue could be: “ What's up? "," Nothing much, you? ”. Or, “ What's up?” ”, “ I've got so much work to do… ”. Anglophones also ask What's up? when someone seems sad, but in this case, of course, the tone of voice would be different.

What's new?

It is an informal way of asking What's been going on? . With this question you invite your interlocutor to tell you a little about himself and his life.

Esta bien?

Esta bien? It is an informal way of asking someone you know well how they are. You can give a short or long answer to this question, that is, is it correct: “ All right?” ”, “ Yeah, all right ” and so is giving a much longer answer.

What is the structure of the present perfect progressive?

To form the present perfect progressive in English, we will need the auxiliary verb to have (tener), conjugated to the present and subject together with the participle of to be (ser) and a main verb in gerund (ending – ing ).

The main structures of this verbal tense are formed like this:

• Affirmative:

Subject + have/has been + verb(-ing ) + complement
Lucas + has been + drinking + juice every morning
Lucas has been drinking juice every morning

• Negative: Here, we use the negation not after have .

Subject + have/has not been + verb( -ing ) + complement
Iván + has not been + working + at the company for very long
Iván has not been (or has not been) working in the company for a long time

• Interrogative:

Have/has + subject + ( not ) + been + verb ( -ing ) + complement
Have + you + been + talking + to him recently?
Have you been talking to him recently?

Have + you + not + been + sleeping + well lately?
Haven't you been sleeping well lately

One more verb tense to the bag

Ready! This is the essential thing you should know about what it is, when it is used and what the structure of the present perfect progressive in English is like. This tense will be useful to us when we want to describe events that began in the past, but are still happening or have an impact on the present. Now we can only recommend that you practice a lot and you will see that, before you know it, you will have this tool in your bag.