How to answer "How are you?" correctly in English | Speak English (2024)

A quick & positive answer

Basically the idea is to just give a quick, positive answer. Even if your dog just died, your car died on the way to the store, and your iPhone battery just died.

If the cashier at the store asks “How you doing?” as you pay for your things, you should respond “Good, how about you?” or “Doing fine, and you?” or “Good, how about yourself?”

And they’ll respond with… yep, you guessed it: “Good, thanks.”
Or “Fine thanks.”
Or some other positive response that doesn’t really answer your question.

Why bother with “How are you?”?

So why ask a question if you don’t want a real answer? I can read in your thoughts… “Because Americans are soooo superficial!”.

No, it’s not because Americans are superficial (though some are, I’ll admit, yes…)

But…. You know the song “It’s a Wonderful World”, by Louis Armstrong. Romain, you know that song right?

There’s a line where he says “I see friends shaking hands, saying “How do you do?” They’re really saying “I love you.”

“How are you?” is the way Americans say “Hello!”

This little conversation “Hey, How are you? Fine, how about you? Good, thanks” is just Americans’ way of being friendly and polite with the people we interact with.

It’s especially the case in service transactions, like with a server at a restaurant, the cashier at a shop, a receptionist, etc.

I know it can be hard to not give a real response. Maybe it feels a bit fake, a bit superficiel. But nope.

That’s just what’s “normal” for this type of conversation. A real response, especially with lots of bad things, that’s uncomfortable.

You should just smile and say “Good, thanks, and you?”

To be truly fluent in English, you need to master these “little conversations” and everyday expressions. Personally, I like this app for learning English, and definitely recommend it!

Watch how to answer “How are you?” in this week’s episode of Speak English with Christina TV:

How to answer "How are you?" correctly in English | Speak English (2024)

FAQs

How to answer "How are you?" correctly in English | Speak English? ›

Thanks for asking! I'm doing well.”: This is a good answer if you want to be gracious and share something but not get into a heavy discussion. The “thank you for asking” up front warms up your response by showing that you appreciate the question but don't want to elaborate further. “Things are good.

How do you respond to how are you in English? ›

Thanks for asking! I'm doing well.”: This is a good answer if you want to be gracious and share something but not get into a heavy discussion. The “thank you for asking” up front warms up your response by showing that you appreciate the question but don't want to elaborate further. “Things are good.

How is your English speaking answer? ›

It means 'How good is your English?' or 'How well can you speak/understand English?' You can give all the usual answers such as 'Basic' 'Not very good', 'Not bad', 'OK', 'Fairly fluent' and so on.

What to reply to do you speak English? ›

You can say, “Yes, it's my native language,” or “Yes, it's my mother tongue.” Even, “Yes I'm fluent,” is fine if you're in a foreign country or some place where the person might actually be interested in, not just if you speak it, but how well do you speak it.

How to reply to how good is your English? ›

Much to their surprise, I speak English very, very well. I am a very strong communicator.

How do you say "how are you" in English? ›

10 other ways to say "How are you?"
  1. How are you doing?
  2. How have you been?
  3. How's everything?
  4. How's it going?
  5. How are things going?
  6. What's going on?
  7. What's new?
  8. What's up?

How do you say you are good at speaking English? ›

When you mean that a person is good at speaking English (rather than writing in English), the best way to say it would be “You speak English well” or “Your English is very good”.

What are the 5 basic English questions? ›

2. Wh Questions
Wh QuestionsPurposeExample
Who?To ask about peopleWho is your best friend?
When?To ask about timeWhen is the party?
Why?To ask for the reasonWhy are you late?
How?To ask about the way things happen or are doneHow do you make a cake?
3 more rows
Mar 14, 2024

What is hello reply in English? ›

If someone says "Hello," a common and polite way to respond is by saying "Hello" or "Hi" in return. This is a simple and friendly way to acknowledge their greeting and start a conversation. You can also add a friendly tone to your response to make it more engaging, such as saying, "Hello!

Do you speak English or do you talk English? ›

When you are explaining your language ability, for example, I speak English, I speak Japanese, I don't speak Chinese. We should always use the verb "speak," please don't use the verb "talk" to explain your language abilities. So a sentence like, I talk French is not correct, please use I speak French.

How do you say someone's English is good? ›

Here are a few examples:
  1. You have a good command of English.
  2. Your English is very good.
  3. Your English is excellent.
  4. Your English is fluent.
  5. You speak English very well.
Dec 18, 2018

How do you describe language fluency? ›

Fluent: A fluent language speaker can comfortably speak, write and understand the language with ease. They have full knowledge of the language, including colloquialisms, but are not native speakers of the language.

Which is correct I am good at English or I am good in English? ›

I am good at English” is grammatically correct, if you mean to tell us you speak English well; more generally speaking that you are doing something well. “I am good in English” means that you are a student, studying English (and probably other subjects), and that you get good marks in English, whereas.

Is it correct to say my English is good? ›

Following a be verb such as is (or any other linking verb like seems, appears, sounds), you use the adjective: “My English is good.” In this sentence, good is called a predicate adjective and is correct usage.

What's a flirty response to "how are you?"? ›

Better, now that I'm talking to you.”

Texting is also a great way to deepen an intimate connection with someone by flirting, so try to make your response a little playful and intriguing. “How do you want me to be?” “I'd be better if you were with me.” “Extremely good looking, I'd say!”

What is a better way to say how are you? ›

A few alternatives you can use instead are: ○ How are things going? ○ What's new? ○ What's up?

What is an example of a response? ›

A response is a reaction to a question, experience, or some other type of stimulus. If you cry at sad movies, you're having an emotional response to the drama that's taking place on the screen. A response can come in many forms, including an answer to a question, an emotional reaction, or a reply.

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