How the World Talks ③ The US: “How Are You?” Often Isn’t a Question
American small talk happens in quick exchanges at the checkout and in the elevator, so we look at questions that work as greetings and goodbyes that sound like plans.
In the US, it’s common for the person at a café counter to greet you with “Hi, how are you?” Few people answer with a rundown of their health or mood. They say something like “Good, how are you?” and move on to their order. It’s less a question than a way of saying hello. That’s second nature if you grew up with it, but it can be puzzling if you didn’t.
The stuff of quick conversations
Even with people they’ve just met, Americans chat briefly about light topics like the weather, weekend plans or local sports games. The point isn’t to go deep but to smooth over an awkward silence. It comes up naturally in elevators and while waiting in line.
Goodbyes that sound like plans
You’ll also hear “We should grab coffee sometime!” or “Let’s catch up soon!” a lot. Sometimes it really means let’s set a date, but often it’s simply a goodbye that says “great to see you.” Whether a date or a place comes up in the conversation that follows is an easy way to tell which one it is.
“Hey! How’s it going?” Word for word in Korean: “어이! 어떻게 되어 가?” (eoi! eotteoke doeeo ga?, roughly “Hey! How is it progressing?”) What fits the moment in Korean: “안녕! 잘 지내?” (annyeong! jal jinae?, “Hi! Doing well?”)
When NATILO translates
Translate greetings like these word for word, and the person reading them wonders whether they’re supposed to write a long answer. NATILO looks at the conversation so far and tries to translate a greeting as a greeting and a real question as a question. If you’re ever unsure, tap the message to see the original right away.
The translations in these examples are for illustration. Actual translations may vary from conversation to conversation.