DO NOT say "how are you?"! Ask the question in a better way!

(upbeat music) - Hello everyone and welcome back to English with Lucy.

Hey, how are you?

Yeah, I'm good thanks.

How are you?

Yeah, great, how are you?

Good, how are you?

How are you drives me insane.

It's so boring, it's so overused, it's just this automatic filler phrase that we use to acknowledge people nonchalantly.

It needs to go.

It sounds so insincere, how are you?

I'm not actually expecting an answer.

That's something I said in my 50 Weird and Confusing Facts About Britain and British Culture video.

How are you is a question that we don't really expect an answer to.

So, in this video I'm gonna give you loads of alternatives to how are you.

I've broken them down into three sections.

I'm gonna give you casual how are you alternatives for friends and family, formal ones for work situations and emails, and then also some fun ones which you can choose if you use or not.

So this video is going to be perfect for improving your vocabulary, but if you want to improve your listening and your pronunciation even further, I highly recommend the study method of combining reading actual books with listening to audio books on Audible.

Let me explain this method.

Take a book that you have already read in English or a book that you would like to read in English I've got loads of recommendations for good books for different levels of English in the description box down below.

And read this chosen book while listening to the audio version.

It's got to be at the same time.

Reading alone will not help you with your listening or your pronunciations skills and that's because English in not a phonetic language.

If you hear and listen to a word as you read it, your brain will make a connection and the next time you see that word, you will know how it's pronounced and the next time you hear that word, you know will know how it's spelled.

By reading and listening tat the same time, you're essentially training your brain in loads of different disciplines.

It's such an effective method and the best part is that you can get one free audiobook, that's a 30-day free trial if you click on the link in the description box and sign up to Audible.

Then you can download one of my audiobook recommendations.

Give it a try, it really, really works.

Right, let's get started with the lesson.

So, let's start with casual alternatives to how are you.

How are you, oh, I hate it so much.

Number on is, how are you doing?

How are you doing?

And you would reply to this by saying, I'm going well, thanks.

You might hear some people respond with, I'm doing good, but that's actually grammatically incorrect.

When responding to a how are you style question, you do well or you are good.

If I say I'm doing good, it could mean I am doing charity work or doing something positive.

Number two, how have you been?

How have you been?

This is a very warm and friendly one.

I really like it.

Yeah, I've been great, thanks.

Or, I've not been so good, actually.

Three, this one's slightly more American, what's going on?

Hey, what's going on?

A very common answer to this is nothing much, no much at all.

Number four, what's new, or even, what's new with you?

This is more asking for updates or if anyone's been doing anything interesting in their life since you last saw them.

You could say this to someone that you've seen recently and you just want a short update.

Number five, I wonder if you've heard this one before, it's what's up?

Hey, what's up?

Traditionally very American, but now used much more in Britain.

Number six is a very British one, it's what are you up to?

Now this comes from to be up to mischief.

which means you're doing something mischievous.

It's a very friendly and endearing question.

What are you up to?

It implies mischief, but in a friendly way.

So if I say what have you been up to, or what are you up to?

I'm kind of saying, what mischievous things have you been doing?

What trouble have you been making?

It's very friendly.

It's also something I say to my dog if he looks suspicious.

What have you been up to?

What mischief have you been causing?

That's a really, really good one.

If you're gonna take one thing away from this lesson, make it that.

Number seven, how are things going?

This is very general.

Things, I mean, it couldn't be more general than that.

It's a great one to use if you can't quite remember what someone's been doing for work or in their personal life, so how are things going?

It's a very non-specific.

Number eight, how are you feeling?

How are you feeling?

Yeah, I'm feeling great.

Or, I'm not feeling so good.

This implies that you know something about their health.

Maybe they were ill a short time ago.

Maybe they're overcoming an illness.

Adds a layer of familiarity because you're implying that you know something wasn't good before and so you're wondering how they're feeling now.

It could also be used if you know the person is nervous.

Maybe it's before a big meeting or a speech.

How are you feeling?

Are you feeling all right?

10, I would say this is slightly more American than British.

How's it going?

Hey, how's it going?

We do use it a bit now.

You would say, yeah, it's going great.

Yeah, everything's good.

Number 11, very similar, how is everything?

Very general.

Maybe implies that you know that everything hasn't been so great or there's been a problem in their life.

The most general of all, number 12, is how's things?

How's things?

I remember boys at school texting me asking me how's things?

I just remember thinking that's such a cop out because now I have to create a conversation.

I'd just reply like, yes, things are good.

How are your things?

Number 13, a very casual one, this is great if you haven't seen someone in a while, how's life?

How's life treating you?

You can say either/or.

Number 14, this is very warm and friendly, how's your day been, or how's your day going?

Now, in American, this is used more in customer service positions, they always want you to have a great day.

I just remember going to America being surprised at how many people wanted me to have a great day.

After everything it was, have a great day, you have a great day.

It was like, okay, I will try and have a great day, thank you.

No one's ever told me to a great day so many times before.

But in British culture, we mean it more when we say it because we say it with less frequency.

And number 15, I must say I'm not a huge fan of this one.

This is all right, or are you all right?

This again is another one we don't really expect an answer from, it's just hey, how are you?

Yeah, I'm fine, you all right?

It's very casual.

Right, let's move on to formal ways to say how are you.

A very formal way is, how do you do?

Hello, how do you do?

And you would normally say this when you're greeting someone or meeting someone that you don't know so well.

How do you do, how do you do?

Normally said while shaking a hand and we don't necessarily expect a response in the UK from this one.

We would normally just repeat, how do you do.

The next one is, are you well?

And posh British people just love to use the word well.

Are you well?

I'm well, I hope you're well.

Is he well?

Are they well?

Are we well?

Honestly, they use it so much.

When I go to the occasion of posh event, I have a lot of internal laughter by the amount to times that well is said.

Are you well?

Is your family well?

These are all fairly formal ways of asking, how are you?

Number three, now this one is almost too posh for me.

It's, how do you fare?

How are you faring?

I must say I haven't heard this said in a long time, but if you want to seem uber, uber posh, be my guest, as long as you're well.

The next few are more business-related.

They're things that your boss might say to you.

Number four is, how are things coming along?

And this implies that there is some sort of progress to be made.

Maybe you're working on a project or you've got a big job going on.

How are you getting on?

How are things coming along?

How much progress is being made?

Number five, very similar, how everything coming together?

Implies that maybe there were implies that maybe there were problems at the beginning but now everything is coming together nicely.

As a good response you could say, oh, things are coming together nicely, thank you.

In Britain especially, we do like to talk about health a fare amount, especially to the older generation.

You maybe had a public struggle with health.

There are a couple of things you can say that are more formally, obviously, because you're talking to an elder.

Number six is how's your health?

If you know that they've got a health issue that they're happy to talk about, then how's your health is the perfectly reasonable way of saying how are you.

Two other ways are hello, I hope you're well, or I trust you're well.

They're not necessarily questions, it's more statements about health.

Right, let's move onto funny phrases.

Now these are if you want to show a bit of character.

A lot of them of quite American.

I wouldn't necessarily advise using these in a formal situation or in an English exam or around people you don't know.

Try them out with friends and family first.

Number one is howdy.

This is very American.

It's basically a shortened down version of how do you do.

How do you do, howdy.

We also have how's it hanging.

Hey, how's it hanging?

Again, very American, but it's kind of come over to the UK because we watch American films and TV shows here.

Number there, a very old-fashioned one that's sort of coming back because of old-fashioned TV shows and films is, how's tricks?

How's tricks?

I think it's like from '20s or '30s America.

And the last one, a personal favourite, hey, what's sizzling?

What's sizzling?

It's another way of saying what's kicking.

Hey, what's kicking?

Right, that's it for today's lesson.

I hope you enjoyed it.

I hope you learned something.

I hope I have equipped you with loads of alternatives to hey, how are you, that phrase we all hate so much.

Don't forget to share your other alternatives, one's that you think I've missed, one's that you like saying.

Don't forget to check out Audible.

Claim your free audiobook by clicking on the link in the description box and signing up for the 30-day free trial.

I've got loads of recommendations for both books and audiobooks down there.

Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media.

I've got my Facebook, I've got my Instagram and I've got my Twitter and I should see you soon for another lesson.

(throws kiss) (upbeat music)