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. 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. The question “ where have you been hiding ” invites conversation. It is a way of saying, “ How have you been? ” Here is an example dialogue: 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. When responding to these greetings, the expectation is that you use simple answers or simply respond with a similar greeting. For example

B: Hi Sue, what’s up? I’ve just been busy, working a lot of long hours. What about you? How have you been? All right. I’ve been working a lot lately. How about you?” English Greetings: Group 3 What’s up? / What’s new? / What are you up to?* 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. The Chelsea player, Didier Drogba, misses a clear chance of scoring a goal and falls over badly, clutching his knee in agony. Similar to the casual greetings we discussed, we’ll often start a professional conversation with a simple hi or hello.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). What are the guidelines to its usage? I understand why it is being chanted when the opposition is announced before the match, but I’ve also heard it being used when someone on the opposing team stumbles, or makes egregious error, or otherwise fails conspicuously. Is there specific reason for this, or it was somehow adopted just because it is neat chant? Can it be used against officials? Can it be used against unpopular management (e.g. if the coach or club president present at the game is announced) or players (that had angered the supporters’ community) of own club?

When you are greeting a group of people – for example at a meeting – you can also say something such as: Similar to asking “how’s it going,” these questions will often be used after a hi or hello as a polite greeting. 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.” Context of the conversation (how long it’s been since you saw them, what you last spoke about, etc.)

In this Confident English lesson, you’ll learn other ways to say hello in English with greetings for professional situations, casual conversations, and encounters with strangers or people you don’t know well.

Some people pronounce “What are you up to?” as “Whatcha up to?” Group 3 Responses Not much. / Not much, how about you? Imagine you unexpectedly see a coworker at the grocery store. Here’s what that conversation might sound like: 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?) There are many ways to ask this fundamental question, but how you phrase it can imply different things. For example: How’s it going? This is casual. You’re asking how a person’s life has been lately, in a more general sense.Good to see you. / It’s been ages! (since I’ve seen you.) / Where have you been hiding? / What have you been up to? 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… And is it polite or respectful to say “Hey, how’s it going” even with people you don’t know very well, like your neighbors? Let’s say you’re texting a loved one with a chronic health condition. You might message, “How are you doing today?” This speaks directly to what you want to know, and it shows them that you understand that things may shift daily, while leaving it up to them about how detailed they want to get in their response. 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.How are you? This is polite, but it’s not necessarily a serious inquiry about the other person’s well-being. If you’re not sure what to say, I recommend listening to others around you, particularly those who consistently speak with politeness, kindness, and warmth. Which greetings to they typically use? 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 This is a subtle way to recognize that the recipient may have things going on in life or at work that could affect them. Because it’s phrased as a statement rather than a question, it allows the other person to skip the specifics if they don’t want to share personal details. 5 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.