After greeting someone with a hello or hi, we usually ask them a few general questions about their health. The most common expression used in this situation is ‘How are you?’

Hello John. How are you?

Hi Venu. How are you?

It’s great to see you, Maya. How are you?

Other questions you can use in this situation are:

How are you doing?

How is it going?

How are things?

How is things?

To answer these questions, use I’m fine, thanks or I’m good, thanks.

If you are not feeling well, you could say Not great, really or Not too good, actually.

‘Hi Meera. How are you doing?’ ‘Very well, thank you. And you?’

‘Hello Shyam. How are things with you?’ ‘Not too bad.’

‘Nice to meet you, Jane. How is it going?’ ‘Great.’

Use Tell me… to ask people to say more about their life.

Tell me about your work.

Tell me about your family.

Tell me about your childhood.

Tell me about your daughter.

Tell me about your hobbies.

Tell me about yourself.

To say how old you are, use I’m …. You can just say a number after I’m… If you really want, you can also add the phrase years old after the number.

To ask how old somebody is, use How old are you?

‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m twenty-eight.’

‘How old is your grandmother?’ ‘She is ninety.’

‘How old is your son?’ ‘He is seven years old.’