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Anonymous Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary

How to respond on "(been) getting by" response to "how are you"?

Sometimes getting this respond from a friend, when i'm asking "how are you"
I really have no idea how to proceed in this case.

How to show that i care and wish things will get better? Is it awkward to ask what's wrong? Or is it better to not say anything and just start some casual talk?
Please, any suggestions on what i can say.
  

Top answer

The words by themselves do not necessarily mean that anything is wrong. It all depends on how they are said, facial expression, context, etc. You know your friend and we don't, so just trust your instincts.

— Clive

  • The words by themselves do not necessarily mean that anything is wrong.
  • It all depends on how they are said, facial expression, context, etc.
  • You know your friend and we don't, so just trust your instincts.
  • OK?
  • Clive
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4 Answers
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The words by themselves do not necessarily mean that anything is wrong.
It all depends on how they are said, facial expression, context, etc.

You know your friend and we don't, so just trust your instincts. OK?

Clive
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Ah, thanks.
I'm pretty sure in this case it means "could've been better". The problem is i don't fully understand it's meaning. Why people use this particular "getting by" thing, what they usually expect?
What is most frustrating is that i can't find a lot of info on this phrase in the net, and even searching corpora doesn't get me any useful examples. Is it rare to say "getting by"
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CliveIn addition to the meaning in these entries, it can also be said if the speaker simply wants to be modest and/or does not want to discuss his situation. Many phrases can be used in this way.
Ah! That clears it up a bit. Thank you!
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