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If you're watching this English lesson, it tells me that you are an intermediate or advanced English learner.
And you're not okay with just using basic English or sounding robotic.
In this English lesson, I'm going to teach you some better ways to respond to how are you.
Because if you're just saying, I'm fine, you're using what you learned in beginner English and it's It's probably starting to sound a bit robotic to native speakers like myself because your responses should definitely be varied.
And you should have a lot of different responses to this question because it's just such a fundamental or essential part of small talk. meeting with someone, or making a really good first impression.
So let's go over some great ways to respond to the question, how are you?
And if you're taking the time to watch this lesson, make sure to visit englishwithkayla.com.
I have an English membership that you can join.
You'll get access to resources that will help you learn the information this lesson as well as a whole library of different lessons and you'll have access to a community where you can ask questions to myself and other motivated English learners.
Thank you so much again for watching. Let's get started now.
So again, there's nothing wrong with saying I'm fine in English.
Native speakers sometimes, if we say I'm fine, It comes off as a bit cold.
And when someone is asking you, how are you?
How are you doing? This is a chance to make a real connection with someone or a good impression if you're meeting them for the first or second time.
So let's go over a lot of different ways that you can respond to this question.
If you're talking to your coworker and you just want to sound more casual, but you're not ready to open up a whole discussion or say something too emotional, you could say, pretty good, thanks.
That's typically how I respond. Maybe if I'm going into a store or I'm going into an appointment.
I'm just speaking with someone real quickly and they ask me, oh, pretty good.
Thanks for asking. I'm doing great. Thanks.
Thanks for asking. So these are some really good ways you can come off as a bit more friendly when answering this question.
Pretty good. Thanks for asking. Another way that's a bit more of a joke, it's kind of funny, is you can say, oh, can't complain.
This is coming off as positive. You know, there's nothing to complain about.
But it's a fun, you know, funny response to this question.
You can use this in all sorts of situations.
How are you doing? Can't complain. Another way that's super similar to just saying can't complain is not bad at all.
How about you? I pretty much always add how about you?
Or thanks for asking when someone asks me, how are you?
It just, I think, helps come off as a bit more friendly and maybe it just you know invites the person to either respond or just show you know you're gracious in your response Not bad.
Not bad at all. All right. And I'm from the Midwest in the United States, so the middle of the country.
And I find that when people ask this question, how are you doing?
They're really asking and looking for a response.
When I'm on the east coast of the United States, every time I've traveled, sometimes I'm like, oh, I'm good.
How about you? I can tell that. They didn't really ask the question to just genuinely have a conversation with me.
You know, they're like... I'm fine. Come on.
What do you need? So it just depends on who you're talking to.
But you can always come off as friendly by saying, you know, all good.
I'm good. Thanks for asking and then go along with your business.
It doesn't always have to be a long conversation or response, but Sometimes that is what people are looking for.
So it just depends. A lot of times at work... people with their coworkers or whoever they're more familiar with, they'll have a more familiar and neutral response to this question.
They don't have to be So perky or peppy or happy or positive, they can just be like, I'm fine.
But again, we're replacing I'm fine. So here are some responses you can use instead.
You can say, I've been better. I've been better.
This just means things are going okay. Maybe they're actually going a little bit poorly.
And sometimes, you know, if someone responds like this, I kind of laugh.
I say, yeah, you know. We all have bad days.
Or you can say, I'm hanging in there. This means I'm surviving.
I'm going along with this hard work. I'm not doing great, but I'm hanging in there.
If you're just having a boring time and you want to be honest, you know, maybe with your coworker or your friend, you could say, Same old, same old.
A lot of times we repeat that phrase. It's just kind of sing-songy when we say it.
Same old, same old. Just means, you know, everything's just been the same.
Nothing has really changed either positively or negatively.
So it's a pretty neutral response to this question.
You know, same old, same old. A lot of times in the work week, you'll hear people say, you know, how are you?
And they'll say, oh. It's been a long week.
When we describe our week as being a long week, we just usually mean it's been either stressful or just really busy, and usually not in a really good way.
It can mean it's just been okay, But typically, it means you're tired and you're ready for the weekend.
It's been a long week or it's been a long day.
A long day implies that it's been a bad day.
It's been a long day. And sometimes you'll hear people just simply say, you know, how are you doing?
How's it going? And they'll say, oh, busy.
Busy but good. Busy is good in my opinion.
It's always good to be busy because it means you're doing a lot of work and maybe you're helping people.
Oh, busy, busy, busy. Alright, let's move on to the more humorous Funny replies, you know, you can start to sound more natural.
You can have some familiar jokes with your friends or coworkers. when you use these responses.
I promise you sometimes you'll get at least a little laugh or giggle when you say these.
So if someone says, how are you? And you say, surviving.
You know, it's kind of funny. It means things are tough, but you're doing okay.
You're surviving. Of course. Obviously, you're alive, you're surviving, but this is just a funny way to respond to the question.
Another way that's a little bit sarcastic that you can respond is you can say, I'm living the dream.
Just living the dream today. Maybe you are having a really good day, but maybe you're just... having a boring regular day, but by saying, oh, just living the dream, you know, it's being a little bit sarcastic and a little bit funny. answering this question, how are you?
Another really funny response you can use with your friends, you know, if you see them, they come to work or they come to wherever you're meeting.
They say, oh, how are you? You can say better now that you're here.
You know, maybe they're about to help you with something or maybe you're just saying, you know, you're my friend.
I'm happy that you're here. It's just a funny way to respond.
How are you doing? Better now that you're here.
Much better now that you're here. So these responses are all going to be used in laid back, casual settings with people that you know pretty well.
It's always considered polite to ask how are you back to the person who asked you in the first place.
Let's go over some natural ways that you can respond, asking them how they are as well.
And remember, always try to match someone's tone.
It's seen as a very personable thing. It will help the conversation keep going if you match the way that they ask so you don't have to say the exact same thing but you should try to say it in the same tone or in kind of the same you know emotion So for instance, if someone says, how are you?
You respond, you say, how about you? How about you?
Or how about you? either are totally fine in your casual conversation.
I find myself more so saying, how about you?
How about you? I'm fine. How about yourself?
And again, if you're having a quick conversation, they say, how are you?
I'm doing good. And then you say, and you?
This is just, you know, a very quick, casual conversation or it can be used more formally as well.
If you just say, and you, you know, just ask back, reciprocate the question.
I'm fine, and you? Another question that's almost the exact same as how are you is you can say how have you been or...
What's new with you? What's new with you?
If you are at a party or a gathering, some sort of event, I tend to ask this a lot of times to people or people ask it to me as well. instead of just saying, how are you?
Because obviously if you're at a party, you know, you're doing pretty good.
It's pretty obvious. But if you say what's new with you, it's inviting the person to talk a bit more. about what's been going on in their life.
What's new with you guys? Next time someone asks how are you, make sure you skip saying I'm fine.
I don't want you to sound like a robot and I want you to start having more engaged, more social conversations while you're speaking English. because it will help you feel more comfortable and make real connections with the people that you're speaking with.
Again, let's go deeper with these phrases and I want you to have access to my whole library of lessons.
Visit englishwithkayla.com and you can join the community there.
I'll see you guys in the next English lesson.
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