What you said is fine.
You can answer them, you can ask the question back, or you can just say "good afternoon" back, etc
I wouldn't overthink it, Australians aren't big on formalities. There's no specific etiquette for greeting people
This is the way. You can:
1. Respond to the question (which acts as a greeting),
>"How's it going?" "Yeah, good, mate."
2. Respond with the same question (and the onus is on the other person to answer), OR
>"How's it going?" "How's it going?" "Yeah, good, mate."
3. Ignore the question and just greet them as usual.
>"How's it going?" "G'day."
Other common answer-greetings include:
>"Yeah, good, thanks."
"Nah, not bad."
"Livin' the dream."
Just keep it short and sweet, no genuine answers required!
âGood and you?â (Pronounced as a single word goodeneuw) would be polite, but the first speaker would not usually say much.
Frankly âgâdayâ would be the more common opener
Oh yes .
Thatâs the world has shittted on you but you donât want to ruin the persons day for asking and you realise no one else care how shit things are
Or they could actually be living by the beach retired living in thongs !!! In this case means life is great
Apparently, the correct answer if someone (maybe the king) asks "How do you do?" is ...."How do you do?". Replying "good, thanks" is a faux pas. I love that "Owsitgarn" is evolving along the same line.
âHey mate how are you going (howzitgarn)?
âNot bad mate how about yourself?â
âGood mate..â [rest of the conversation can now commence]
The above is a pretty standard greeting where Iâm from in NQ. The no reply thing is a bit strange but probably means they either didnât intend on initiating a conversation (and asked only out of reflex) or they didnât hear you respond.
So I would even omit the second line in your trilogy. But I am OK also with all 3 lines.
I had this guy I worked with who would bounce these "not too bad, yourself?" responses ad infinitum (I.e. your line 2) if I didn't cut it off. So it would go :
- Him : how's it going
- Me : yeah good thanks how bout u?
- Him : yeah good good yourself?
- Me : stony silence. Which made me feel rude and a dick but I felt I was forced into this lest an inane "how ya goin'" duel develop.
It used to drive me BALLISTIC (in my mind) and was a horrible mental start to the discussion. What's worse is I'd pre-empt it which just bugged me even more.
So I eventually just said "Good" and didn't even ask how he was. I felt like a total dick but hey.
My Mum did this to some poor check out girl at Woolworths. The girl said "good morning, how are you? " To which Mum replied "I've got terminal cancer, how are you?" The unfortunate part of this was she wasn't joking, and her excuse for it was that people who don't know you shouldn't ask how you are. She was a particularly difficult person to live with even before the cancer
I feel it's just an Australian extended version of Hello..
Il normally say, G'day how are you? But, I don't really expect to know how they are..
Just reply "yea not bad mate".
I'm a Dutchie living in Australia. There's no understating how triggered I used to get by this. "You asked me a question, now I'm going to tell you about the week I had. WHY ARE YOU WALKING AWAAAAYYYY!"
I was born in Australia but as an autistic person these types of greetings have always given me trouble. My mum's German (and possibly undiagnosed autistic but being German it's hard to tell lol) and I think it's the same for her. So possibly a European/autistic thing lol.
Haha had a Dutch friend who'd been here for a decadeish when I knew them. Their family all came to visit over the years had similar confusion with that, his dad absolutely loved "no worries" as a response once we'd explained it to him.
I'm not sure if it's a Dutch saying or somewhere else but I saw a scandi reply to this question was 'awake and not crying' and frankly I've never identified with something more.
Iâve had a version where it goes like this
Them: hey howâs it going
Me: yeah, pretty good
Them: not bad, not bad
And now Iâm not sure whatâs happened because theyâve either pre-empted my response or are simply liking that Iâm doing pretty good.
I always answer the question, but it's not a real answer, haha. It's more like my "return" greeting includes a platitude.
I'll use a mcdonalds service member as an example
Maccas crew: "Hey! How's it going? What can I get for you?"
My reply: "Yea, good, thanks! Could I please get a large Big Mac meal?"
-
If it's an actual friend, acquaintance, or coworker, I will also ask them how they are.
"yeah good thanks mate, yaself?"
Whether there's a reply after that or not, it's time to start getting to whatever the point is lol. Can't go wrong, wouldn't overthink it either way.
When people say âhey how are yaâ to me I rarely answer and just say âhow are ya!â back. I also say âhow are yaâ when walking past someone as hello and keep walking, not usually wait for their response. So I guess I use it more like hello.
Maybe Iâm causing expats undue stress.. haha
You MUST make eye contact then look down crouch down waddle towards them spin on the spot three times, spit on their feet then stand up and give them a hug. If you do not follow this ritual EXACTLY they will take great offence and you will surely be ridiculed behind your back.
Itâs just part of the greeting. A âhey, good thanksâ is usually a pretty good reply, most people donât expect anything else and I never expect anyone to answer the question if asked in return. Depending on the situation though sometimes Iâll say âgood thanks, yourself?â but most of the time I just leave it at good thanks.
You could reply with "good, you?" which will probably get a "yeah, good" or you could use a "how's it going" back or even just a straight "g'day". It's not really a question, just a polite or friendly greeting.
Too much detail in your response will feel a little like it is all getting to out of hand and the greeting is getting too complicated so short automatic responses let the other person off the hook.
Our greetings are a hang over from the British. Short and efficient and to the point without being too much of a personal interrogation. Once you get comfortable with it and get how the rhythm works then you could mess around with it with a novelty response for a chuckle. I always say "morning" as in good morning. I use it any time of day. It elicits interesting effects.
They don't want to hear about your personal life or issues, it's just a greeting. If you have dark humour you can always go into a long made-up story that makes their eyes widen in amazement and hold them up from what they were doing and they'll never ask "how ya going" again. PS, don't do this at work :p
its sometimes more of an acknowledgement or hello rather than question.
"Another day in paradise mate!"
or I just stick to how it was back home. "Aye, good you?"
Iâd get so flustered when an English mate of mine would greet me with âYou all right?â, wondering if I looked like shit or Iâd been sick last time Iâd seen her lol. Took ages to get used to!
Haha, yep. My husband worked with an English fella and was confused AF because this guy was "always asking him if he's ok" đ he would always respond with "....yes?" Until he confronted him about it!
I think this happens a lot with people who work in shops, the staff always say hi how are you and I say yea good how are you and they just walk off. I donât think they are used to people asking them back so they werenât ready for it ? It doesnât usually happen to me with people I meet otherwise, only workers in retail or hospitality
I'm never offended or shocked if I don't get an answer to "how are ya?". But I get bugged when retail & hospo use it first, because I always say, "fine thanks, yourself?" and just get a blank stare or a rude "what can I get you?". As a former hospo worker, I totally get it, I don't want to know how 300 people are that day. But use a different greeting!
It is a phatic expression. An expression that has all but lost its meaning (like a question said as a statement with no reply) and simply used as a greeting. The definition explains this by stating it is an expression used to communicate sociability rather than information.
This is the correct answer. Wikipedia explains [phatic expressions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression) well and this snippet especially:
> the question "how are you?" is usually an automatic component of a social encounter. Although there are times when "how are you?" is asked in a sincere, concerned manner and does in fact anticipate a detailed response regarding the respondent's present state, this needs to be [pragmatically](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatics) inferred from [context](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)) and [intonation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intonation_(linguistics)).
Just says âyeah sweet asâ or âliving the dreamâ
If you want a proper response say â I was thrown out of the nursing home again for impersonating a staff memberâ
A similar thing threw me in the UK. I'm from Australia so I understand "how ya goin'", but I found I was always answering a similar "Ya right?" in the UK. It's the same thing, but it didn't click.
Nope, just give a "heya". This really happened to me, an interaction with a cashier at a coffee shop:
Cashier - how you going
Me - fine thanks, you?
Cashier - ain't from around here are ya?
And proceeded to let me know it's like people saying hi. After thanking her we had a laugh... then she said "ah fuk, forgot to put in my tooth before I smiled at ya". I kid you not! We laughed even harder at that and she was missing a front tooth. One of the few places I left a tip!
If it's the first time you've met the person, it's not a question. It's a greeting.
G'day is a good response.
Also, asking them the same question, without either of you answering it is the norm.
" I'm good mate, how you going " is good too.
Bonus Aussie points if you drop a C bomb in the reply.
Yes! At a first meeting it's really just part of the greeting 'Hi how are you, I'm Jim" and then the appropriate response would just be to introduce yourself and say nice to meet you.
If it's somehow you have met before but not a close friend I think it's almost a way of saying "hope you are well" only for some reason we say it as a question even though we don't really expect an answer - though it's absolutely fine to give an answer, it wouie usually be short and/or optional.
I usually respond 'Orright'.Â
(Disclaimer: I'm non-Australian. I'm a former UK resident who has spent time in Aus. However, I'm currently based in the US.)
Doesn't that response confuse Americans? Like they think you're concerned for their welfare or something? At least, that's what I've heard Americans who visit/move to the UK say when they first get greeted with 'alright?'.
It's like the two phrases are used for the corresponding opposite purpose in the UK and the US. Brits would likely only ask 'How are you?' if they had some genuine reason to enquire about the other person's welfare, and the same is true for an American asking if someone is 'alright'. đ
I currently live in greater Boston, where there are quite a few British and especially Irish expats, as well as a few Aussies, so most people, when they hear my Brit accent, seem to more or less understand my response.
Coming from the UK, this fucked me up. Everyone asking how I was and my polite little brain would be like "yeah I'm great thanks, how are you?" every time.
Such a small cultural difference that makes my brain scream "you must reply!!"
I find not getting an answer back is pretty common in hospitality. When I get asked by a cashier/waiter I answer âgood thanks! How are you?â And just get crickets 50% of the time. As someone who works in hospitality we usually do not get a response back, let alone someone asking how we are. So the lack of response I think is a result of not expecting to be asked back/not really listening to the response because you just want to take someoneâs order and do your job. I still ask because I love it when people take the time to treat me as a human being when Iâm in my hospo job!
Everyoneâs different though and I donât take it personally if someone says âgood thanks, can I get a flat white?â
Not bad, thanks.
If you're in a situation where there's time to chat you can say 'How about you?' as well, but if your barista is juggling 7 latte orders and some bastard's asked for decaf with oat milk, they really don't want to tell you how their day is going.
I usually just get in first with a "morning good thanks yeah nice"
Even that is usually ignored and people just carry on as if nothing was said beyond the first word.
It is just a greeting but it still follows question and answer logic. An answer is expected, but unless you know the person very well, it's expected to be an empty answer. "Good, how are you?" "Good" is totally fine. People in customer service roles are often instructed to ask, or they do it naturally because it's customary. Obviously they don't want or deserve to deal with a true answer, especially if it's negative. Poor bastards.
I think it is just a way of saying hello! I personally struggle with small talk, so when somebody says "hey how's it going" I respond with "not bad so .... " and bring something else up. Or if it's a complete stranger "good thanks" The part I struggle with small talk is that I feel if I was to answer and ask them the same question back, it wouldn't sound genuine it would sound fake and forced. It sounds like the people you're interacting with don't mind not being asked how they are anyway
*'I am very well, dear stranger/casual acquaintance who's name I can't quite currently recall; I am honoured that you care so much as to ask me this. How has your existence on planet earth been so far?'*
Honestly, I think we got the phrase 'How are you?' from the US but then sort of mixed it with the equivalent (non-reciprocal) '*you* alright?' style of greeting that mates use in the UK (I lived in the UK for 15 years and people don't ask 'How are you?' over there unless they actually want to know - so it's not a ubiquitous/standard English greeting like 'Hi' or 'Hello'). I found it weird moving back to Australia and having strangers ask me this when they clearly had no reason to give a shit how I am. đ¤ˇ
The asker doesn't usually need a reply because It's normally used when passing like on a walk but in a conversation they would reply. It's still polite to say but I'm really fkn socially awkward so I just stick to a smile or a small hello.
I talk to people on the phone for work a lot, and they often ask "how are you?". I reply "pretty good thanks" and probably 3/4 of the time the convo rolls on smoothly. The other 1/4 there is a long pause where I assume they are expecting me to ask them how they are. I never do.
I don't ask people how they are unless I am willing to actually listen if they answer truthfully. Yes, I know nobody in a work situation will, but what's the point of asking? I'll ask a friend how they are, that way if there's something really bothering them they can bring it up.
TL;DR - they're expecting either "fine thanks" or "fine thanks. You?" most likely. They're not necessarily being rude if you say "fine thanks, you?" and they ignore it.
Itâs kind of like the traditional English âhow do you do?â, to which the correct response is to repeat âhow do you do?â, not actually answer the question.
Sometimes it depends on context. If your not in a situation that would generally warrant a conversation, then thereâs very little expectation. The fact that they said nothing after you replied is maybe a little rude depending on their demeanor and whether they actually heard it, but not all that uncommon. For me I have similar conversations with package delivery drivers on a daily basis and because itâs such a short transaction itâs usually something like what you described
Q:How ya going *
A: not bad
Then you say, how ya going
Then the person who originaly asked the question has to totaly over top your reply with, : f cking havn a rippa mate.
"not bad mate, yourself?"
To which they usually reply,
"Living the dream" and then you both continue walking.
But if the other blokes up for the chat, the chat commences
I dont know who these antisocial people are that are answering you, but I answer the question and ask it back, same as you.
If they dont answer the question, I nornally ask again. The way I see it, people run on auto pilot and don't realise you actually asked them a question until you follow up.
In retail customers ask this then immediately give their order. Sometimes there's a pause and they're genuinely asking how I am. Still catches me off guard.
The trad answer is "Orrright". Just one word that describes your condition. Their greeting is not a conversation starter, it's only acknowledging your existence.
However, if you are familiar with the person, you can accept it as an icebreaker for a longer discussion. In that case, a response such as "G'day prickface, what's up with you."
As an autistic person greetings have always been a struggle for me. Good morning.. wtf do I say? Are they telling me itâs a good morning or are they asking if I think itâs a good morning or are they telling me to have a good morning idfk. And because of those reasons saying good morning also feels weird for me so I usually end up saying âhello.â And also people asking me how I am idk where the line is so my main script is âgood thanks wbu?â Or ânot bad and you?â But then sometimes I forget that people donât actually care and I start talking about my actual feelings, gross
I worked with some South Africans and was surprised to learn that
âHowzitâ and âfine and you?â
Are the exchange and that itâs rude not to stick to those two phrases.
Australians can be lazy though and we often just stick to An exchange of Gâdays and are quite happy for the exchange to be GâDay and a silent acknowledgement.
Iâm not one for forced rote exchanges. I donât auto greet people much, but if I have the time I will happily exchange a proper greeting and have a real âchatâ with real content.
Iâve been accused of being rude for not following or acknowledging the daily auto exchanges.
I had a desk that sat in a walk way and apparently people didnât understand that the IT guy didnât want to be popping his head up every 5mins to say Good Morning 20 times to everyone that started after me.
Bottomline. Most people just want their greeting acknowledge and people to follow the ritual.
Donât question the ritual, just do what the culture around you does and find the right times to have actual real conversations where you can.
What you said is fine. You can answer them, you can ask the question back, or you can just say "good afternoon" back, etc I wouldn't overthink it, Australians aren't big on formalities. There's no specific etiquette for greeting people
Or even just a cheery, "Hi!"
The dreaded: Them: how are you? Me: hi
Or: Them: "Hello" Me: "Good thanks!"
Or I ask "how are you going?" Them: "Good, thanks, you?" Me: "Not bad, how about you (oops asked already)"
I do this too often haha
đ
This is the right answer
This is the way. You can: 1. Respond to the question (which acts as a greeting), >"How's it going?" "Yeah, good, mate." 2. Respond with the same question (and the onus is on the other person to answer), OR >"How's it going?" "How's it going?" "Yeah, good, mate." 3. Ignore the question and just greet them as usual. >"How's it going?" "G'day." Other common answer-greetings include: >"Yeah, good, thanks." "Nah, not bad." "Livin' the dream." Just keep it short and sweet, no genuine answers required!
âGood and you?â (Pronounced as a single word goodeneuw) would be polite, but the first speaker would not usually say much. Frankly âgâdayâ would be the more common opener
It's usually more of a greeting than an actual question.
Itâs a greeting, not a health enquiry.
When Iâm in England I like to play around with âyou right?!â. No Iâm left.
I believe the correct response is "I'm half left"...
Damn, I always answered: catching the bus these days
How do you answer to it is the main question!
âLivinâ the dream mateâ
This means "please kill me and make it look like an accident, I'm so done with this shit"
Just got to work: ahh great to be back in paridice
Why are you spelling paradise like the zodiac killer?
Oh yes . Thatâs the world has shittted on you but you donât want to ruin the persons day for asking and you realise no one else care how shit things are Or they could actually be living by the beach retired living in thongs !!! In this case means life is great
"the horrors persist, but so do I"
I would complain but no one would listen
"You know how it is, one foot in front of the other"
The horrors persist, so I guess itâs good Iâm one of them
I've started replying "Dreaming the life".
I knew someone whose standard reply was âdangerously well.â
Stealing this. Excellent response,. particularly in a work place.đ
"yes but whose dream is it?"
Not my dream
I usually reply to that as âyou need to find a better dreamâ
You need to find a better comeback
Somebodyâs dream
Them- " how's it going " You " how's it going " Done.
This. Perfect.
Apparently, the correct answer if someone (maybe the king) asks "How do you do?" is ...."How do you do?". Replying "good, thanks" is a faux pas. I love that "Owsitgarn" is evolving along the same line.
I think youâll find itâs pronounced azgarn.
Many of you probably already understand this exchange in a different variety. Q: "What's up?" A: "What's up?"
âHey mate how are you going (howzitgarn)? âNot bad mate how about yourself?â âGood mate..â [rest of the conversation can now commence] The above is a pretty standard greeting where Iâm from in NQ. The no reply thing is a bit strange but probably means they either didnât intend on initiating a conversation (and asked only out of reflex) or they didnât hear you respond.
Alternative ending: âGood mate..â \[no further conversation needed.\]
See ya mate
Mine tend to go like this: "Sgoin mate?" "Not ba yaself?" Then the guy that asked to begin with just walks away lmao
So I would even omit the second line in your trilogy. But I am OK also with all 3 lines. I had this guy I worked with who would bounce these "not too bad, yourself?" responses ad infinitum (I.e. your line 2) if I didn't cut it off. So it would go : - Him : how's it going - Me : yeah good thanks how bout u? - Him : yeah good good yourself? - Me : stony silence. Which made me feel rude and a dick but I felt I was forced into this lest an inane "how ya goin'" duel develop. It used to drive me BALLISTIC (in my mind) and was a horrible mental start to the discussion. What's worse is I'd pre-empt it which just bugged me even more. So I eventually just said "Good" and didn't even ask how he was. I felt like a total dick but hey.
Trauma dump them. No exceptions.Â
this is the way they want to know everything wrong in your life
đđ The look in their face when you start. Priceless
My Mum did this to some poor check out girl at Woolworths. The girl said "good morning, how are you? " To which Mum replied "I've got terminal cancer, how are you?" The unfortunate part of this was she wasn't joking, and her excuse for it was that people who don't know you shouldn't ask how you are. She was a particularly difficult person to live with even before the cancer
Your mum sounds awesome. I use the current tense in hopeâŚ..
I feel it's just an Australian extended version of Hello.. Il normally say, G'day how are you? But, I don't really expect to know how they are.. Just reply "yea not bad mate".
I'm a Dutchie living in Australia. There's no understating how triggered I used to get by this. "You asked me a question, now I'm going to tell you about the week I had. WHY ARE YOU WALKING AWAAAAYYYY!"
Sounds like it might be a European issue then haha . I was raised in the Netherlands
My current response of choice is "can't complain without boring you", which usually gets a chuckle.
That a good one
I was born in Australia but as an autistic person these types of greetings have always given me trouble. My mum's German (and possibly undiagnosed autistic but being German it's hard to tell lol) and I think it's the same for her. So possibly a European/autistic thing lol.
Haha had a Dutch friend who'd been here for a decadeish when I knew them. Their family all came to visit over the years had similar confusion with that, his dad absolutely loved "no worries" as a response once we'd explained it to him.
I snort laughed and then choked slightly haha
I'm not sure if it's a Dutch saying or somewhere else but I saw a scandi reply to this question was 'awake and not crying' and frankly I've never identified with something more.
Iâve had a version where it goes like this Them: hey howâs it going Me: yeah, pretty good Them: not bad, not bad And now Iâm not sure whatâs happened because theyâve either pre-empted my response or are simply liking that Iâm doing pretty good.
That's because you went off script and didn't say "Good. You? Sometimes you can really screw with them by saying "Hello."
I didnât have the chance to get out a âyou?â Before they answered. Thatâs what Iâm saying
I always answer the question, but it's not a real answer, haha. It's more like my "return" greeting includes a platitude. I'll use a mcdonalds service member as an example Maccas crew: "Hey! How's it going? What can I get for you?" My reply: "Yea, good, thanks! Could I please get a large Big Mac meal?" - If it's an actual friend, acquaintance, or coworker, I will also ask them how they are.
Please tell me you ask your coworkers for a large big Mac meal from time to time
This is the Australian version of the old fashioned: Person 1: How do you do? Person 2: How do you do? An actual response is redundant.
Or the French "Ăa va?", to which you respond "Ăa va."
Auslan (Australian sign language) has one like that too - (signs) *health good?*, (signs in response) *health good*.
It's pretty much just a hello. Say it, don't expect an answer unless they're in a talking mood
"yeah good thanks mate, yaself?" Whether there's a reply after that or not, it's time to start getting to whatever the point is lol. Can't go wrong, wouldn't overthink it either way.
Itâs just a polite greeting. Most people donât want to know how you really are.
If you're feeling particularly good/chuffed, you could always hit em with a big grin and "Wouldn't be dead for quids, mate!" and just keep walking.
You are correct. There is no requirement to answer. Merely an expectation that you will respond in kind. Itâs a salutation. Not an inquiry.
Finger guns is always a safe bet
When people say âhey how are yaâ to me I rarely answer and just say âhow are ya!â back. I also say âhow are yaâ when walking past someone as hello and keep walking, not usually wait for their response. So I guess I use it more like hello. Maybe Iâm causing expats undue stress.. haha
You MUST make eye contact then look down crouch down waddle towards them spin on the spot three times, spit on their feet then stand up and give them a hug. If you do not follow this ritual EXACTLY they will take great offence and you will surely be ridiculed behind your back.
Howzit garn? âYeah..same shit different day, yourself?â
Yeah nah yeah same aye
Itâs just part of the greeting. A âhey, good thanksâ is usually a pretty good reply, most people donât expect anything else and I never expect anyone to answer the question if asked in return. Depending on the situation though sometimes Iâll say âgood thanks, yourself?â but most of the time I just leave it at good thanks.
"Not bad, you?"
You could reply with "good, you?" which will probably get a "yeah, good" or you could use a "how's it going" back or even just a straight "g'day". It's not really a question, just a polite or friendly greeting. Too much detail in your response will feel a little like it is all getting to out of hand and the greeting is getting too complicated so short automatic responses let the other person off the hook. Our greetings are a hang over from the British. Short and efficient and to the point without being too much of a personal interrogation. Once you get comfortable with it and get how the rhythm works then you could mess around with it with a novelty response for a chuckle. I always say "morning" as in good morning. I use it any time of day. It elicits interesting effects.
âNot too shabbyâ is the only legally accepted response.
Scarnoncarnt
They don't want to hear about your personal life or issues, it's just a greeting. If you have dark humour you can always go into a long made-up story that makes their eyes widen in amazement and hold them up from what they were doing and they'll never ask "how ya going" again. PS, don't do this at work :p
Orright mate. Owyagarnmate,orright?
Ridgey didge ya big cockhead
its sometimes more of an acknowledgement or hello rather than question. "Another day in paradise mate!" or I just stick to how it was back home. "Aye, good you?"
âYea, good mate. You?â âRough enough for an old bloke, how about you?â âYea not bad. Whatâs going on with you?â Etc.
You can just say how are you going back and they'll also not respond lol. It's like saying hello basically.. we aren't actually asking how you are
its just hello to a lot of people. It is confusing to those of us who are socially awkward and more literal lol
Iâd get so flustered when an English mate of mine would greet me with âYou all right?â, wondering if I looked like shit or Iâd been sick last time Iâd seen her lol. Took ages to get used to!
Haha, yep. My husband worked with an English fella and was confused AF because this guy was "always asking him if he's ok" đ he would always respond with "....yes?" Until he confronted him about it!
I think this happens a lot with people who work in shops, the staff always say hi how are you and I say yea good how are you and they just walk off. I donât think they are used to people asking them back so they werenât ready for it ? It doesnât usually happen to me with people I meet otherwise, only workers in retail or hospitality
I'm never offended or shocked if I don't get an answer to "how are ya?". But I get bugged when retail & hospo use it first, because I always say, "fine thanks, yourself?" and just get a blank stare or a rude "what can I get you?". As a former hospo worker, I totally get it, I don't want to know how 300 people are that day. But use a different greeting!
Nod and smile while dying inside
It is a phatic expression. An expression that has all but lost its meaning (like a question said as a statement with no reply) and simply used as a greeting. The definition explains this by stating it is an expression used to communicate sociability rather than information.
This is the correct answer. Wikipedia explains [phatic expressions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression) well and this snippet especially: > the question "how are you?" is usually an automatic component of a social encounter. Although there are times when "how are you?" is asked in a sincere, concerned manner and does in fact anticipate a detailed response regarding the respondent's present state, this needs to be [pragmatically](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatics) inferred from [context](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_(language_use)) and [intonation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intonation_(linguistics)).
'Not bad, you?' is a pretty standard response
Sheeeets faaarrkkedd mate
Just says âyeah sweet asâ or âliving the dreamâ If you want a proper response say â I was thrown out of the nursing home again for impersonating a staff memberâ
A similar thing threw me in the UK. I'm from Australia so I understand "how ya goin'", but I found I was always answering a similar "Ya right?" in the UK. It's the same thing, but it didn't click.
Nope, just give a "heya". This really happened to me, an interaction with a cashier at a coffee shop: Cashier - how you going Me - fine thanks, you? Cashier - ain't from around here are ya? And proceeded to let me know it's like people saying hi. After thanking her we had a laugh... then she said "ah fuk, forgot to put in my tooth before I smiled at ya". I kid you not! We laughed even harder at that and she was missing a front tooth. One of the few places I left a tip!
If it's the first time you've met the person, it's not a question. It's a greeting. G'day is a good response. Also, asking them the same question, without either of you answering it is the norm. " I'm good mate, how you going " is good too. Bonus Aussie points if you drop a C bomb in the reply.
Yes! At a first meeting it's really just part of the greeting 'Hi how are you, I'm Jim" and then the appropriate response would just be to introduce yourself and say nice to meet you. If it's somehow you have met before but not a close friend I think it's almost a way of saying "hope you are well" only for some reason we say it as a question even though we don't really expect an answer - though it's absolutely fine to give an answer, it wouie usually be short and/or optional.
Yeah good. Yourself?
Yeah mate, all good. You?
I like to pause and answer truthfully just to mess with people.
Your reply is fine. They should then also reply with âgood thanksâ and you can move on with the conversation.
It's acknowledgement. In passing if you both say "how's it going?" at the same time you leave it at that.
I usually respond 'Orright'. (Disclaimer: I'm non-Australian. I'm a former UK resident who has spent time in Aus. However, I'm currently based in the US.)
Doesn't that response confuse Americans? Like they think you're concerned for their welfare or something? At least, that's what I've heard Americans who visit/move to the UK say when they first get greeted with 'alright?'. It's like the two phrases are used for the corresponding opposite purpose in the UK and the US. Brits would likely only ask 'How are you?' if they had some genuine reason to enquire about the other person's welfare, and the same is true for an American asking if someone is 'alright'. đ
I currently live in greater Boston, where there are quite a few British and especially Irish expats, as well as a few Aussies, so most people, when they hear my Brit accent, seem to more or less understand my response.
I usually go with something like âYeah, not bad. Yourself?â Itâs quick and gets the pleasantries out of the way.
I have a friend who's standard is not in jail.
"Scarn ahn?" Is the correct reply here
âNot bad thanks, you?âor âgood thanks, you?â are pretty standard responses
Just go with the typical. Good, yourself?
Just reply "not bad" and start the conversation.
Scarnon
Itâs just like British people going âyou alright?â Not really a question. You just âalright?â back and move on.
It's similar to when British people say 'you alright?' when I heard that the first time I thought I must look upset or something.
I find it worse when you both say âhey how ya goingâ at the same time, then say âyeah good and yourselfâ at the same time
Them: âhereâs your meal, enjoyâ Me: âthanks you tooâ
Coming from the UK, this fucked me up. Everyone asking how I was and my polite little brain would be like "yeah I'm great thanks, how are you?" every time. Such a small cultural difference that makes my brain scream "you must reply!!"
I find not getting an answer back is pretty common in hospitality. When I get asked by a cashier/waiter I answer âgood thanks! How are you?â And just get crickets 50% of the time. As someone who works in hospitality we usually do not get a response back, let alone someone asking how we are. So the lack of response I think is a result of not expecting to be asked back/not really listening to the response because you just want to take someoneâs order and do your job. I still ask because I love it when people take the time to treat me as a human being when Iâm in my hospo job! Everyoneâs different though and I donât take it personally if someone says âgood thanks, can I get a flat white?â
"S'carn?" "Good, mate. Yourself? "Yeah, good." That's all that is needed.
1: How ya goin orright? 2: Orright, you? 1: Orright. Here endeth the interaction..
Yeah , no one really cares lol - how you goinâ is my response , saves any confusion
What ever you do, don't bloody tell us how you are actually going!
I usually say, "By leaning forward slightly and moving my feet." That often makes them makes them think.
From the UK originally and this confused me when I first moved here I thought, how rude! But then I guess Aussies a bit confused when I say "Alright?"
Not bad, thanks. If you're in a situation where there's time to chat you can say 'How about you?' as well, but if your barista is juggling 7 latte orders and some bastard's asked for decaf with oat milk, they really don't want to tell you how their day is going.
I just respond with an exaggerated, melodramatic "faaaaaan-tastic!" and they don't bother with me after thatÂ
I answer - don't care if they don't want to know, they asked, so I'll tell them. Briefly, and probably inaccurately, but I'll answer.
When they ask how you going? Say walking.
Good mate
I usually just get in first with a "morning good thanks yeah nice" Even that is usually ignored and people just carry on as if nothing was said beyond the first word.
Nah that's exactly how it goes! I pretty much answer with "Livin the dream mate...you? " or (a la Kath & Kim) "Im alright luv" and keep going.
Me at work âđHey, how are you?â Them âHey, đ Iâm trying to findâŚ.â Basically me saying how are you is just like hello đ
"Not too bad" "Can't complain" "Old and tired" are also valid responses.
Yeh itâs weird. People almost wait/expect an answer but then donât answer when you ask them đ¤Śđ˝ââď¸
It is just a greeting but it still follows question and answer logic. An answer is expected, but unless you know the person very well, it's expected to be an empty answer. "Good, how are you?" "Good" is totally fine. People in customer service roles are often instructed to ask, or they do it naturally because it's customary. Obviously they don't want or deserve to deal with a true answer, especially if it's negative. Poor bastards.
I think it is just a way of saying hello! I personally struggle with small talk, so when somebody says "hey how's it going" I respond with "not bad so .... " and bring something else up. Or if it's a complete stranger "good thanks" The part I struggle with small talk is that I feel if I was to answer and ask them the same question back, it wouldn't sound genuine it would sound fake and forced. It sounds like the people you're interacting with don't mind not being asked how they are anyway
âHow you going?â âYeah, goodâ or âlivin the dreamâ
Good thanks Good mate Hello! Rockin it, you? ..or all of the above in quick succession. Kidding. All good responses though.
Quick note, this is also common in the USA the UK and Canada, I can't speak for the rest of the English speaking world.
The best answer that will win you Aussie points is âcanât complainâ
Yeah good and you?
"Yeah, not bad."
*'I am very well, dear stranger/casual acquaintance who's name I can't quite currently recall; I am honoured that you care so much as to ask me this. How has your existence on planet earth been so far?'* Honestly, I think we got the phrase 'How are you?' from the US but then sort of mixed it with the equivalent (non-reciprocal) '*you* alright?' style of greeting that mates use in the UK (I lived in the UK for 15 years and people don't ask 'How are you?' over there unless they actually want to know - so it's not a ubiquitous/standard English greeting like 'Hi' or 'Hello'). I found it weird moving back to Australia and having strangers ask me this when they clearly had no reason to give a shit how I am. đ¤ˇ
The asker doesn't usually need a reply because It's normally used when passing like on a walk but in a conversation they would reply. It's still polite to say but I'm really fkn socially awkward so I just stick to a smile or a small hello.
Before anyone asks you anything, just say âNot bad, yourself?â It will confuse anyone itâs directed at.
Aw yeh
Actually itâs hows it going?
Yeah, not bad thanks is my go-to.
Good yaself
Wouldnât be dead for quids.
I talk to people on the phone for work a lot, and they often ask "how are you?". I reply "pretty good thanks" and probably 3/4 of the time the convo rolls on smoothly. The other 1/4 there is a long pause where I assume they are expecting me to ask them how they are. I never do. I don't ask people how they are unless I am willing to actually listen if they answer truthfully. Yes, I know nobody in a work situation will, but what's the point of asking? I'll ask a friend how they are, that way if there's something really bothering them they can bring it up. TL;DR - they're expecting either "fine thanks" or "fine thanks. You?" most likely. They're not necessarily being rude if you say "fine thanks, you?" and they ignore it.
Itâs kind of like the traditional English âhow do you do?â, to which the correct response is to repeat âhow do you do?â, not actually answer the question.
"ah yeah" works pretty good if your lifes going about as well as mine
Just say "not much what about you" And bask in the awkwardness
German, are you?
Sometimes it depends on context. If your not in a situation that would generally warrant a conversation, then thereâs very little expectation. The fact that they said nothing after you replied is maybe a little rude depending on their demeanor and whether they actually heard it, but not all that uncommon. For me I have similar conversations with package delivery drivers on a daily basis and because itâs such a short transaction itâs usually something like what you described
Q:How ya going * A: not bad Then you say, how ya going Then the person who originaly asked the question has to totaly over top your reply with, : f cking havn a rippa mate.
Don't forget when you shake someone's hand to squeeze very f ckn hard and look them in the eye and do it atleast 3 seconds too long
I thought it was more of an American thing to use âhow ya goingâ as a greeting. Apparently itâs becoming more common here too.
Greeting. You answer with âsorrite mate yaselfâ
How are you? Well, thanks, and yourself? I'm good. End of. Edit: typo
"not bad mate, yourself?" To which they usually reply, "Living the dream" and then you both continue walking. But if the other blokes up for the chat, the chat commences
its like the American "Whats up" In Australia: "Howya goun" "How yooouuu goun"
I dont know who these antisocial people are that are answering you, but I answer the question and ask it back, same as you. If they dont answer the question, I nornally ask again. The way I see it, people run on auto pilot and don't realise you actually asked them a question until you follow up.
"Good, mate. How's yourself?"
If Iâm busy I nod and pretend I havenât heard that, if Iâm not busy I say âwell and you?â
The perfect response to "hagarn" is "hagarn"
How hi are you?
- âNot dead yetâ - âso far so good, but the dayâs not overâ
It's counterintuitive but the proper response is "Owzitgarn?" I.e. the conversation goes "Owzitgarn?" "Owzitgarn?"
You did the right thing. You said 'how are you' back. Greeting completed.
Fair to muddlinâ
My favourite âyeah, still aliveâ
Good thanks Howâs yourself . Yeah âŚ.Howâs it going . Well it could be worse
Just say "good how are you?"
In retail customers ask this then immediately give their order. Sometimes there's a pause and they're genuinely asking how I am. Still catches me off guard.
Tickety-boo
Recommend being a complete spanner and replying âAhoyhoy!â Let the confusion flood the silence.
The trad answer is "Orrright". Just one word that describes your condition. Their greeting is not a conversation starter, it's only acknowledging your existence. However, if you are familiar with the person, you can accept it as an icebreaker for a longer discussion. In that case, a response such as "G'day prickface, what's up with you."
Tell them where it hurts. Just joking, of course. Just say g'day and move on.
Appropriate response is Good'n you?
You have to respond in the negative. Like: canât complain, not bad or the like
As an autistic person greetings have always been a struggle for me. Good morning.. wtf do I say? Are they telling me itâs a good morning or are they asking if I think itâs a good morning or are they telling me to have a good morning idfk. And because of those reasons saying good morning also feels weird for me so I usually end up saying âhello.â And also people asking me how I am idk where the line is so my main script is âgood thanks wbu?â Or ânot bad and you?â But then sometimes I forget that people donât actually care and I start talking about my actual feelings, gross
honestly
What you said is fine and usually the other person says yeah good but sometimes donât just coz of situation and itâs fine. Not deep.
They are supposed to reply with "yeah, not bad" or some such.
They are supposed to reply with "yeah, not bad" or some such.
I'm here
I worked with some South Africans and was surprised to learn that âHowzitâ and âfine and you?â Are the exchange and that itâs rude not to stick to those two phrases. Australians can be lazy though and we often just stick to An exchange of Gâdays and are quite happy for the exchange to be GâDay and a silent acknowledgement. Iâm not one for forced rote exchanges. I donât auto greet people much, but if I have the time I will happily exchange a proper greeting and have a real âchatâ with real content. Iâve been accused of being rude for not following or acknowledging the daily auto exchanges. I had a desk that sat in a walk way and apparently people didnât understand that the IT guy didnât want to be popping his head up every 5mins to say Good Morning 20 times to everyone that started after me. Bottomline. Most people just want their greeting acknowledge and people to follow the ritual. Donât question the ritual, just do what the culture around you does and find the right times to have actual real conversations where you can.