Not from the US, so curious. Heard that sometimes when you ask someone "How are you?" they just say it right back instead of answering. Is that really a thing?
我不是美国人，纯属好奇。听说有时候你问别人“How are you?”，对方就直接把这句话扔回来，根本不回答。真有这回事吗？
Also is "Good, and you?" basically the required response every time, like a script people follow? And if I just say "Good" without asking "and you?" back, is that rude..?
还有“Good, and you?”是不是基本上每次都必须说的标准回复，像照剧本念一样？如果我光说“Good”不回问“and you?”，算不算没礼貌……？
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OpeningChipmunk1700 · 2026-08-18 06:45
>Is that really a thing?
>真有这回事吗？
Yes, although less common in my experience than, "Good--how are you?" or similar. No response is expected (but welcome).
有的，不过按我的经验，更常见的是“Good——how are you?”之类的。没人指望你真回答（但回答了也欢迎）。
>And if I just say "Good" without asking "and you?" back, is that rude..?
>如果我光说“Good”不回问“and you?”，算不算没礼貌……？
"Good, thanks!" if perfectly common and polite almost everywhere.
“Good, thanks!”几乎在任何地方都完全正常且有礼貌。
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bell37 · 2026-08-18 10:32
Or if you are completely dead inside:
或者如果你已经心死透了：
“Livin’ the dream” 🥲
“Livin’ the dream”（日子“美”着呢）🥲
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thesweetestberry · 2026-08-18 11:49
Omg I say this. You are right. 😳
天呐我就这么说。你说得对。😳
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Iwoulddiefcftbatk · 2026-08-18 11:53
Or “It’s going”
或者“It’s going”（就这么过着呗）。
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OldJames47 · 2026-08-18 12:24
I go with "Each day is better than the next."
我会说“Each day is better than the next.”（每一天都比下一天强——过一天算一天吧。）
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AliMcGraw · 2026-08-18 12:45
"Oh, you know -- alive."
“Oh, you know -- alive.”（哦，你懂的——还活着。）
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Lima-Bean-3000 · 2026-08-18 06:51
Some people (in my experience the older people) will take offense to just saying "good, thanks." I've stopped asking how people are at my job and some get mad and say sarcastically, "I'm doing good, thanks for asking." There's a 50/50 chance when they ask me how I am it's a trap and they want to vent the moment I ask it back, hence why I stopped.
有些人（按我的经验是年纪大的）会觉得光说一句“good, thanks”是冒犯。我在公司已经不主动问别人“你好吗”了，结果有的人生气，阴阳怪气地来一句：“我挺好的，谢谢关心哈。”他们问我“你好吗”的时候有50%概率是个陷阱——我一回问他们就要开始倒苦水，这就是我为啥不问了。
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VirtualMatter2 · 2026-08-18 07:14
What about answering with "Bad, thanks"?
那回答“Bad, thanks”（不咋地，谢了）呢？
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OpeningChipmunk1700 · 2026-08-18 07:17
Less common, and we do not typically express bad moods onto strangers in that manner.
比较少见，我们通常不会那样对陌生人甩坏情绪。
If it were more like, "Bad, I'm going through a lot, and I would appreciate 5 minutes of your time to vent," a decent chunks of Americans (including me) would happily help out, time permitting and assuming that you did not otherwise seem like a threat (basically, no obvious signs of mental illness).
如果对方说的是“不太好，我最近事儿太多，能不能占用你5分钟让我倾诉一下”，相当一部分美国人（包括我）会很乐意帮忙——只要时间允许，而且你看起来没有威胁（基本就是说没有明显的精神问题迹象）。
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meadoweravine · 2026-08-18 07:26
If you are having a bad day, you would generally answer with something a bit less strong, but yes, you can definitely say if you're not good. It depends on your relationship with the person, if they're greeting you in passing or as a start to a conversation, etc. The point of the greeting is to establish if you are having a reasonably normal/ok day or if you need help with something else and can't have a regular conversation right then.
如果你今天过得不好，一般会说得委婉一点，但你确实可以说自己不好。这取决于你和对方的关系、对方是路过打个招呼还是要开始一段对话等等。这个问候的重点是确认：你今天过得还算正常/还行，还是你遇上了别的事需要帮忙、眼下没法正常聊天。
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blueberryscone17 · 2026-08-18 10:18
In my experience, for this you say “livin’ the dream!” In a very lightly sarcastic tone.
按我的经验，这种情况就该用略带阴阳的语气说“livin’ the dream!”（日子“美”着呢！）。
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CountDown60 · 2026-08-18 10:26
I like "I'm awake and I'm not crying."
我喜欢说“I'm awake and I'm not crying.”（我醒了，而且没哭。）
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johannaishere · 2026-08-18 12:31
I do say “Oh, you know. It’s the morning. I’m here.” Fairly often lol.
我确实经常来一句“Oh, you know. It’s the morning. I’m here.”（哦，你懂的。大早上的。人来了。）哈哈。
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o93mink · 2026-08-18 10:31
Bizarre
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GladClock2212 · 2026-08-18 06:56
I would love if these questions, the "shocked" questions of 'do you actually' followed by truly banal things, would be accompanied by how they do things in their countries.
我特别希望这类问题——那种“你们居然真的……吗”式的“震惊体”提问，后面跟的全是些鸡毛蒜皮的小事——提问的人能顺便说说他们自己国家是怎么做的。
According to your post history you live in the US.
根据你的发帖记录，你住在美国。
You know how things work here.
你是知道这儿怎么回事的。
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AbortDatShit · 2026-08-18 06:46
Yeah, sometimes I just say "how are you" back without answering. Depends on the context, usually I wouldn't do this when talking to friends or family just for like business transactions
对，我有时候就只回一句“how are you”不回答。看场合，一般跟朋友家人不会这样，主要是那种办事交易的场合。
I know this really seems to baffle people but "how are you" just means "hi" but is seen as more polite
我知道这事儿让不少人很费解，但“how are you”意思就是“hi”，只是显得更礼貌而已。
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Nightmare_Gerbil · 2026-08-18 07:26
Yeah, it’s just a less formal “How do you do?” which is a perfectly reasonable response to being asked “How do you do?” or “How are you?”
对，它就是个没那么正式的“How do you do?”（贵安），而“How do you do?”本身就是被问“How do you do?”或“How are you?”时完全合理的回答。
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boilface · 2026-08-18 09:55
>Yeah, it’s just a less formal “How do you do?”
>对，它就是个没那么正式的“How do you do?”
I mean, almost every greeting in English is less formal than "How do you do?" That greeting is comically formal and antiquated
我是说，英语里几乎每种问候都比“How do you do?”不正式好吗。那句问候正式到滑稽，而且老掉牙了。
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joeychestnutsrectum · 2026-08-18 06:46
No, people don’t just say “How are you?” right back. You answer the question with how you are, but the default is definitely “good, and you?”
不，大家不会直接把“How are you?”原样扔回去。你会回答自己的近况，但默认答案绝对是“good, and you?”。
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crispysockz · 2026-08-18 07:35
Yes we do, I do that all the time. It’s implied psychically that you’ve already responded with Good or whatever and so you just how are ya back
会的，我就总这么干。心灵感应层面上你已经默认回了句Good之类的，所以就直接把how are ya甩回去了。
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Tricky_Ad_3080 · 2026-08-18 10:21
People absolutely do say it right back. I’m one of them.
绝对有人直接把这句扔回去。我就是。
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johannaishere · 2026-08-18 12:34
Especially if I’m tired lol. I might not even notice I didn’t answer.
尤其是我累了的时候哈哈。我可能压根没注意到自己没回答。
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PeanutterButter101 · 2026-08-18 12:44
And the most awkward of us will respond with "thanks you too".
而我们当中最尴尬的那批人会回一句“thanks you too”（谢谢，你也是）。
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mckenzie_keith · 2026-08-18 06:49
You can say lots of different things.
你可以有很多不同的说法。
Outstanding.
Never Better.
Never Better.（好得不能再好。）
Good good good.
Good good good.（好好好。）
I'm hangin in there.
I'm hangin in there.（还撑着呢。）
Ah, you know.
Ah, you know.（唉，你懂的。）
I'm alright, how about you?
I'm alright, how about you?（我还行，你呢？）
None of these actually mean anything. They are just pleasantries. If you are walking past the person and all you can manage is "good thanks!" that is fine. It is not rude. But if you are face to face with the person, or walking in the same direction you should ask them something back.
这些话其实都没有实际含义。它们只是客套话。如果你只是路过对方身边，憋出一句“good thanks!”就够了。不算没礼貌。但如果你跟对方面对面，或者同路一起走，你就该回问一句。
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meadoweravine · 2026-08-18 07:29
I disagree that they don't mean *anything*, they mean that you are in a regular state of mind, don't need help, don't have anything traumatic going on at the moment. It's the equivalent of a handshake meaning you're not holding a weapon, it's very stylized now but the intent of, "I am capable of interacting socially at this time," is there.
我不同意它们“什么含义都没有”——它们的意思是：你精神状态正常、不需要帮助、眼下没遭遇什么创伤。这就跟握手表示你手里没拿武器一个道理：现在已经高度程式化了，但“我现在有能力进行社交互动”这层意图还在。
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mckenzie_keith · 2026-08-18 07:37
Fair enough. But it is OK to respond "fine and you" even if you are not fine. When talking to a stranger, most of the time, they do not want to hear about your problems and you shouldn't burden them with your problems. Of course if you are in real distress, you can say so. But you don't have to wait for them to ask in that case, either.
有道理。但就算你过得不好，回一句“fine and you”也完全OK。跟陌生人说话时，大多数时候人家不想听你的烦心事，你也不该拿自己的烦心事去压人家。当然，如果你真的很难受，可以说出来。但那种情况下你也不必等人家先问。
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Terradactyl87 · 2026-08-18 09:04
Huh, I'd never heard about the handshake being to show you aren't armed, but I guess that makes sense
哈，我还从没听说过握手是为了表明你没带武器，不过想想还真有道理。
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Murderhornet212 · 2026-08-18 09:40
As an autistic person, I’m going to respectfully disagree with you. You are expected to reply with “how are you” or something positive. I’m almost never actually “capable of interacting socially”. I am not allowed to say anything to that effect without being viewed as weird or rude. I have to pretend/lie.
作为一个自闭症患者，恕我礼貌地表示不同意。社会期待你回一句“how are you”或者说点积极的。而我几乎从来就没有过“有能力进行社交互动”的状态。可我只要说一点这种实话，就会被当成怪人或者没礼貌。我只能装/撒谎。
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Former-War1318 · 2026-08-18 07:27
Livin' the Dream!
Livin' the Dream!（日子“美”着呢！）
Another day in Paradise!
Another day in Paradise!（又在天堂里混了一天！）
Any day above ground is a good day!
Any day above ground is a good day!（只要还没入土，哪天都是好日子！）
Better than the alternative.
Better than the alternative.（总比死了强。）
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PARTINlCO · 2026-08-18 07:36
My go to is “the horrors persist but so do I!”
我的口头禅是“The horrors persist but so do I!”（恐怖还在继续，但我也还在！）
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mckenzie_keith · 2026-08-18 07:35
Those are all good ones. Also "I can't complain."
这些都挺好。还有“I can't complain.”（没啥可抱怨的。）
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dwhite21787 · 2026-08-18 09:44
Can’t complain, does no good
Can't complain, does no good.（没啥可抱怨的，抱怨也没用。）
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Genepoolperfect · 2026-08-18 11:19
"It's a Tuesday" . If good isn't actually how I'm faring, and don't want to talk about it.
“It's a Tuesday.”（今天周二罢了。）当“good”不符合我的实际状态、又不想多聊的时候，就这么说。
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Zestyclose_Put_4143 · 2026-08-18 07:04
Thanks! That helps me a lot
谢谢！这对我帮助很大。
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MrdrOfCrws · 2026-08-18 12:44
A super bowl [commercial](https://youtu.be/mhEYXcCB1Qw) that is on point and makes me laugh.
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AliMcGraw · 2026-08-18 12:44
Chillin' like Bob Dylan and killin' like penicillin
Chillin' like Bob Dylan and killin' like penicillin.（像鲍勃·迪伦(Bob Dylan)一样chill，像青霉素(penicillin)一样杀疯了。）
(My kids *hate* it when I say this.)
（我孩子们*恨死*我这么说了。）
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rmfrench76 · 2026-08-18 07:01
I almost always say "Hey, how you doin'" in response. It is really just like saying hi
我几乎每次都回一句“Hey, how you doin'”。这真的就跟说hi一样。
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nimbinValley · 2026-08-18 10:26
Remember it's a greeting, not a question. The response is ALWAYS "Good thanks, and you?" unless it's a good friend or family member who is generally interested in your well-being. Otherwise it's a rhetorical question.
记住，这是打招呼，不是问题。回答永远是“Good thanks, and you?”，除非对方是真关心你近况的好朋友或家人。否则这就是个反问句。
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jackfaire · 2026-08-18 06:45
We usually say "Good and how are you ?" if a person isn't paying attention they might just hear the "how are you " part
我们通常会说“Good and how are you?”，如果那人没在认真听，可能就只听到了“how are you”那部分。
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CosmicLovepats · 2026-08-18 07:08
It's a kind of call response, like saying hi when someone says hi to you.
这是一种呼叫应答，就像别人跟你say hi你也say hi一样。
Also americans are kind of relentless optimists. Answers will tend towards positive, "good and you" etc. Ask an american how it's going and it's going great. Or fine. Or well. An american who answers "well, it's going..." is basically two minutes away from jumping off the roof.
而且美国人是有点无药可救的乐天派。答案都往积极了说，“good and you”之类的。你问一个美国人最近咋样，答案都是好得很、不错、挺好。一个美国人要是回答“嗯，还……行吧”，那他基本离跳楼只差两分钟了。
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MsPooka · 2026-08-18 07:03
You can answer the question however you want. You can say you just went to the doctor and get a cyst drained, your wife left you, or you can just say you're fine and go buy your cheerios.
你想怎么答就怎么答。你可以说你刚去看医生切了个囊肿、你老婆跟人跑了，也可以就说你挺好，然后接着买你的脆谷乐(Cheerios)。
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Traveling-Techie · 2026-08-18 07:04
It’s a ritual that barely has meaning most of the time. Not much attention is paid.
这是个仪式，大多数时候几乎没什么含义。没人当真。
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nczaversnick · 2026-08-18 07:22
Half the time people ask me while walking past me. By the time I figure out what they said they're all the way down the hall so I don't answer anymore
有一半的情况是别人路过我的时候顺口一问。等我反应过来他们说了啥，人已经走到走廊那头了，所以我后来干脆不回了。
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djfilms · 2026-08-18 07:11
This is definitely a thing. But not common. East coast? I don’t get it either.
这事儿确实存在。但不常见。东海岸？我也不懂。
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Is_that_a_peen_too · 2026-08-18 06:51
For me it's pretty much what I say, but how I say it isn't so "formal" sounding.
对我来说内容基本就是这些，但说起来没那么“正式”。
"How-ya doin'?"
“How-ya doin'?”（咋样啊？）
"Good'n you?"
“Good'n you?”（挺好，你呢？）
If you don't add the and you it won't be seen as rude. Don't really hear people not answer, and only repeat what they were asked. Maybe in some parts of the country they might.
如果不加那句and you，也不会被当成没礼貌。真没听过有人不回答、只把问题原样重复回去的。可能这个国家有些地方会这样吧。
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Bearbearblues · 2026-08-18 07:16
Not normally.
一般不会。
Sometimes if you want to show enthusiasm to see the person because they look great or had some major life event. If they ask you first, “How are you?” You might reply, “How are *you!?”* with a tone that implies your friend is the one who needs to give updates.
有时候你想表现得很兴奋见到对方——比如对方状态特好、或者刚经历了什么大事。如果他们先问你“How are you?”，你可能会回“How are *you!?”*，语气里的意思是：你这位朋友才是该汇报近况的人。
Sometimes though when you are passing a stranger and you make eye contact, you might do this almost whispered, “How’s it going?” and the other person might do the same and you sort of do a head nod but you don’t really stop and talk.
不过有时候你跟陌生人擦肩而过、对上眼神，你可能会几乎是低声说句“How’s it going?”，对方也照样来一句，你们互相点个头，但谁也不会真的停下来聊。
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TeamTurnus · 2026-08-18 08:36
Yah its a example of a phatic expression. This page has a number of examples from other languages as well.
对，这就是寒暄用语(phatic expression)的一个例子。这个页面还列了其他语言里的不少例子。
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phatic_expression
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Splugarth · 2026-08-18 06:44
I mean, I generally say “surviving” on the theory that admitting to anything more is inviting trouble. But I don’t think that’s very common.
我是说，我一般都说“surviving”（苟着呢），因为我觉得承认过得比这更好就是给自己找事。但我觉得这么说的人不多。
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RedditTab · 2026-08-18 06:54
The first instance might be more common with two close friends meeting each other after a long time. I can't say why I think this, but it feels right. It's not common, but it's not as strange as it sounds. Someone else might reply "look what the cat dragged in!" Instead, and I guess that and "how are you" in this case are rhetorical? They'd ask a follow question like, how's (wife, kid, job, project, golf game, etc).
第一种情况（直接回问）可能更常见于两个好朋友久别重逢。我说不清为什么这么觉得，但就是感觉对。这不常见，但也没听起来那么怪。也有人会回一句“look what the cat dragged in!”（哟，这是哪阵风把你吹来了！）我猜这种说法和这种情况下的“how are you”都是修辞性反问？他们接下来会真正问的是：你老婆/孩子/工作/项目/高尔夫最近咋样之类的。
"Good, and you" is more welcoming. "Good" is direct and cutting the small talk short, and the implication of that is different based on where you live. But, I don't think anyone would say anything even if they didn't like it. If it's a service person asking you (cashier, etc) I think it's more common to say "good", and begin ordering where I'm at. Southerners would give a short reply and reciprocate ("I'm good thank you for asking. How are you doing hun?").
“Good, and you”显得更热情。“Good”就比较直接，等于把寒暄掐断，而这层含义在不同地方解读不同。不过，我觉得就算有人不喜欢，也不会真说什么。如果是服务人员（收银员之类）问你，在我待的地方，更常见的是说句“good”然后直接开始点单。南方人会回得短一些但会回敬过去（“我挺好，谢谢你问。你怎么样呀，亲爱的？”）。
Generic rules apply: it's a big country and a lot of different regions and social norms.
通用规则来了：这是个大国，地区众多，社会规范五花八门。
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Absentrando · 2026-08-18 07:11
No, asking “how are you” back without responding would be odd. At least it’s not something I hear. It’s more common to send the question back is informal settings when people ask something along the lines of “what up”. In those cases people often respond with a variation of the question like “what’s good” or “what’s happening” which basically means “not much, what’s going on with you”
不，不回答就直接回问“how are you”会很奇怪。至少我没听过这么干的。更常见的是在非正式场合，别人问的是“what up”（咋了）这类话的时候把问题抛回去。那种情况下大家经常用问题的变体回，比如“what’s good”或者“what’s happening”，基本意思就是“没啥事，你那边呢”。