• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Welcome!
  • Contact David
Get into English

Get into English

ESL Online English Teacher

  • Home
  • Welcome!
  • Contact

The Difference Between “How are you?” and “How have you been?”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg
  • Del
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • VKontakte
  • Print
  • Email
  • Flattr
  • Reddit
  • Buffer
  • Love This
  • Weibo
  • Pocket
  • Xing
  • Odnoklassniki
  • ManageWP.org
  • WhatsApp
  • Meneame
  • Blogger
  • Amazon
  • Yahoo Mail
  • Gmail
  • AOL
  • Newsvine
  • HackerNews
  • Evernote
  • MySpace
  • Mail.ru
  • Viadeo
  • Line
  • Flipboard
  • Comments
  • Yummly

Phuong is walking down Collins Street when she sees a friend of hers from uni:

– “Sam, fancy meeting you here! It’s been ages since I saw you – how have you been?!
– “Yeah, Phuong, how long has it been now?! I’m pretty good thanks. Got a new job in Prahan and I’ve just started seeing someone! What about you – how are things?!”

When To Ask “How have you been?”

When we ask “How are you?” the focus is on now. We could be asking simply to be polite or we might want to know how you really are.

Phuong asks Sam: “How have you been?” This is a question in the present perfect form [HAVE + 3rd form] and therefore refers to a time period that started in the past and continues until now.

For example, maybe you haven’t seen your friend for a few weeks or even a longer time. Perhaps it’s been 6 months since you last met, so this is why you can ask:

“How have you been?”

This kind of conversation and interaction is part of small talk. Small talk is something which some students find difficult, as it’s not as common in their culture. However when you meet up with English speakers, being able to carry a friendly everyday conversation will help give a more positive impression of yourself and improve the rapport between you.

How Have You Been -- Spoken English Phrase Idiom

Common Greetings

Hi, how are things?
How are you going?
How are you doing?
How have you been?

Asking What They’re Doing

So, what are you up to these days?
So, what have you been doing (since we met last)?
So what have you been up to?

Ways of Responding

Things are good, thanks.
Things have been ok | alright | great
Busy – you know how it is.
I’ve been off my feet = very busy
You’ll never guess – I’m married | I have a new job!

Updated 7.4.2014! Find A Complete List Of Common Phrases Here!

If you’re new here please check out the Get Into English Facebook page!

Read More!

So How Was The Flight?
What Did You Get Up To This Weekend?
What Are You Up To Later?

Photo credits

Image: John Haslam
Licence (CC by 2.0)

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends or leave a message below 🙂 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MilaI says

    February 8, 2012 at 12:23

    Hi David !

    Excellent article !!! I read it with pleasure and I’m sure that this source is very useful. And I agree with you that each ethnic nationality has different attitude to small talk and it’s determined by the genetic and cultural particular qualities . But in any case small talk is fine method for improving our communicative skills in daily life ;))

    I wish you a pleasant day :))

    Reply
    • David Sweetnam says

      February 10, 2012 at 19:25

      Hi Milal

      Nice to hear from you again. How’s winter treating you?!

      Yeah, for me small talk is different in Melbourne and Vancouver compared to here in Prague. Perhaps it’s due to historical reasons that Czechs are generally less interested in talking about their work and life, especially to someone they don’t know as well.

      Have a good day

      David

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. What did you get up to this weekend? – weekend phrases says:
    February 13, 2012 at 12:05

    […] the people you meet on a Monday at work or at university about their weekend. It’s part of small talk, polite and friendly conversation about everyday […]

    Reply
  2. What are you up to later? — Get into English says:
    October 26, 2012 at 23:42

    […] Small talk phrases “It’s been ages since I saw you! […]

    Reply
  3. Before your Cambridge speaking exam — Get into English says:
    November 24, 2013 at 21:45

    […] “It’s been ages since I saw you!” […]

    Reply
  4. Short Phrases You Can Use In Conversation With Your Friends — Get into English says:
    May 3, 2014 at 22:38

    […] When you haven’t seen your friend for a while you can ask: How have you been? It’s been ages since I saw you […]

    Reply
  5. “It’ll Be Good To Catch Up With You” – Meeting Up With A Friend — Get into English says:
    September 23, 2014 at 12:45

    […] Pavel! I’m in town for 2 days – how about a drink tomorrow at the Bike Cafe? It’s been ages since we last […]

    Reply
  6. “Why Aren’t I Making Progress..?” says:
    May 19, 2015 at 22:43

    […] Small Talk Phrases – “It’s been ages since I saw you!”  […]

    Reply
  7. Kick Off 2016 With These Learning Tips! – Get into English says:
    January 13, 2016 at 21:36

    […] things in common with people. Find out why they’re doing what they’re doing. Go beyond small talk, have some fun and get to know […]

    Reply
  8. The Difference Between ‘Catch Up’ And ‘Meet Up’ – Reader Question – Get into English says:
    March 6, 2016 at 00:03

    […] you haven’t seen someone for a while and want to catch up with them, you might ask: “How have you been?” If it’s someone who you see more regularly, you might ask: “How are […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply to What did you get up to this weekend? – weekend phrases Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

E-mail Newsletter

More to See

Transform Your English In 2019!

December 29, 2018 By David Sweetnam

“So How Come You Have Two Cars?” – English Expression

December 11, 2017 By David Sweetnam

ELICOS Courses: How To Get Make Quicker Progress?

December 4, 2017 By David Sweetnam

Speaking Exam Phrasebook – Giving Your Opinion

March 18, 2017 By David Sweetnam

Talking Books – Materials For Teachers

December 4, 2016 By David Sweetnam

Film Conversation Questions – For Teachers

September 23, 2016 By David Sweetnam

Urban Scenes On Instagram

June 3, 2016 By David Sweetnam

Footer

Text Widget

This is an example of a text widget which can be used to describe a particular service. You can also use other widgets in this location.

Examples of widgets that can be placed here in the footer are a calendar, latest tweets, recent comments, recent posts, search form, tag cloud or more.

Sample Link.

Recent

  • English Vocabulary for Corona – COVID-19
  • Transform Your English In 2019!
  • “So How Come You Have Two Cars?” – English Expression
  • ELICOS Courses: How To Get Make Quicker Progress?
  • Speaking Exam Phrasebook – Giving Your Opinion

Search

© 2009–2023 · David Sweetnam Log in