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Anonymous Posted 14 years ago
Vocabulary

how do you do?

In one of the British coursebooks read a dialogue about meeting prople:
-How do you do?
-I'm very well, thank you.
I've been taught that "how do you do" is merely a greeting, not a question which demands an answer other than "how do you do". Is ti possible that in modern English "how do you do" is viewed as another question "how are you? how are you doing?"
  

Top answer

The greeting exchange of "How do you do? I'm very well, thank you" is, in my opinion, quite formal. But, it is commonly used and you will hear it often.

— JohnParis

  • The greeting exchange of "How do you do?
  • I'm very well, thank you" is, in my opinion, quite formal.
  • But, it is commonly used and you will hear it often.
  • " Imagine if everyone were to answer truthfully.
  • "
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2 Answers
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The greeting exchange of "How do you do? I'm very well, thank you" is, in my opinion, quite formal. But, it is commonly used and you will hear it often.
It is also a somewhat rhetorical question and does not really require any answer other than "I'm very well (or fine), thank you." Imagine if everyone were to answer truthfully. You'd hear everything from "I'm just great" to "well, not so well
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Hi,

I don't hear 'How do you do?' much anymore.
But it used to be that the other person simply responded by also saying 'How do you do?'
eg
Tom: How do you do?
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