“How are things?” is the sort of question that people tend to ask a lot, in both formal and informal contexts. You might be wondering what the best way to reply to such a question is, and this article will give you plenty of great answers for your personal usage.
The best answers to “how are things?” are “Everything’s fine”, “I’m very well” and “Things have been better”. These three phrases cover a variety of tones and can be used in a variety of situations, and their range is broad enough to cover most situations that you need.
1. Everything’s Fine
Saying that “everything’s fine” is the traditional and standard reply to someone who asks you the question “how are things?”. By saying that everything’s fine, you’ve politely replied to their default question in a way that allows you to continue the conversation without any awkwardness or uncomfortableness.
“How are things?” is the sort of question that people ask not because they want a real answer, but because they’re starting a conversation. This is an important fact to take into account when replying.
Here are some examples that will showcase how you can use this expression in an exchange:
- How are things?
- Everything’s fine, thank you for asking, my friend.
- How are things?
- Everything’s fine, thankfully it’s been a fairly slow month.
2. Things Are Fine
“Things are fine” is a somewhat funny reply that you can use whenever someone asks you how things are. When someone says “how are things?” they are not asking about literal things, so replying using the word “things” is funny, and can be appreciated.
Because this is a humorous expression, you’re probably best off using this response in more informal contexts where you can make these sort of funny comments without any further issues arising from them.
These example exchanges will show you how you can use “things are fine” as a response:
- How are things?
- Things are fine, they’ve honestly never been better.
- How are things?
- Things are fine, I’ve been taking care of my things for a little while now.
3. I’m Fine
The truth is that “how are things?” is a question that is not literally asking about your things. When you subtextually look into the question, what it’s actually asking about is how you’re doing. Therefore, saying “I’m fine” is a perfectly appropriate response to the question.
By saying “I’m fine” as a response to this specific question, you’re acknowledging the fact that this person was actually asking about your personal wellbeing by asking “how are things?”. It’s a helpful response.
Here are a couple of example conversations to show you how to use “I’m fine” without issues:
- How are things?
- I’m fine, honestly less busy than usual so I’ve been having a good time.
- How are things?
- I’m fine, just working a regular 9 to 5 and enjoying life at the moment.
4. I’m Very Well
“I’m very well” is a really interesting reply to “how are things”, because while it is a standard response that you can use in any situation where people are asking you this question, it’s particularly suited to formal contexts, like a meeting or a conversation at your workplace.
The specific usage of “very well” instead of any other expression to talk about your current state of being points to the fact that this is a more formal reply than some of the others.
These example exchanges will do a good job of showcasing how you can use “I’m very well” as a reply:
- How are things?
- I’m very well, everything’s been going well for my business lately.
- How are things?
- I’m very well, you wouldn’t believe the numbers that my metrics have been hitting lately.
5. Everything’s Very Good
“Everything’s very good” is a great way to reply to “how are things?”, because it’s an expression you can use when things aren’t just going fine, but they’re genuinely good instead. This expression is a good way to canalize the positivity that you have in your life in your response.
By simply saying “everything’s very good”, you can let the person who’s asking know that things are in fact going really well, and that you’re thankful about that fact.
These are some example conversations that will showcase how to use “everything’s very good”:
- How are things?
- Everything’s very good, I honestly can’t believe how lucky we’ve been lately.
- How are things?
- Everything’s very good, it’s really rewarding to see our hard work pay off.
6. Things Are Tough
If things aren’t actually going well, then you can use “things are tough” as a reply to “how are things?” in order to accurately convey the gravity of the situation in a way that is suitable for both formal and informal situations, and isn’t overly dramatic.
By saying “things are tough”, you’re expressing the fact that thing’s aren’t exactly easy right now, without adding unnecessary drama to your response, therefore keeping it at a level that is suited to formal situations.
These are some example exchanges that showcase how you can use “things are tough” as a reply:
- How are things?
- Things are tough, honestly
- How are things?
- Things are tough, but I have faith that they can become better over time.
7. Life Is Difficult Right Now
“Life is difficult right now” is a somewhat more informal response that you can say when someone asks you how things are. If you wish to convey the fact that your life isn’t exactly easygoing at the present moment, you can say “life is difficult right now”.
The specific use of the word “life” means that this is a broad enough phrase to the point where it’s smarter to avoid using it in a more formal and practical context..
Here are a couple of example conversations that will teach you how to use this response:
- How are things?
- Life is difficult right now, but I’m slowly learning to manage it all.
- How are things?
- Life is difficult right now, as you know, but thankfully things have been looking up lately.
8. Things Have Been Better
“Things have been better” is a fantastic way to reply to “how are things?” when you want to express the fact that your life isn’t particularly great at the moment. It’s an expression perfectly suited to more formal contexts, because it uses very practical and direct language.
By using “things have been better”, you’re letting the person who asked you the question know that your life isn’t exactly easy at the moment, by stating it in an elegant manner.
These are some example exchanges that will showcase how you can use “things have been better”:
- How are things?
- Things have been better, but we’ve all survived and I think that’s what matters most.
- How are things?
- Things have been better, but I actually got some good news today for once.
9. I’m Great, Thankfully
“I’m great, thankfully” is the perfect expression to use as a reply to “how are things?” when your current state is not just good, but great, and you want to express that fact in a manner that is humble and relaxed. It’s a remarkably useful expression to memorize.
“I’m great, thankfully” is an expression perfectly suited for formal contexts, because of the deliberate use of the word “thankfully” to add humbleness to your currently great state of being.
Here are some example sentences that are going to teach you how to use “I’m great, thankfully”:
- How are things?
- I’m great, thankfully, this week I’ve made a lot of changes that were way overdue.
- How are things?
- I’m great, thankfully, I just got off a business call and was notified that the deal’s coming through.
10. We’re All Doing Great
Sometimes people will ask “how are things?” in a way that doesn’t just refer to one individual person’s figurative things, but actually asks about how things are with a larger group of people. “We’re all doing great” is the perfect expression to use in these situations.
“We’re all doing great” is a good expression to use, for example, if someone is asking how things are with your family, or with your organization, or any group of people that you belong to.
These example conversations will teach you how you can use “we’re all doing great” in your daily life:
- How are things?
- We’re all doing great, the company’s had a terrific first quarter so we’re celebrating this week.
- How are things?
- We’re all doing great, honestly it’s the first time in a while that my family is happy and pleased.
Is “How Are Things?” Formal or Informal?
“How are things?” is an informal question to ask, because it uses “things” in a figurative manner to ask about the different events and situations that are currently going on in the person’s life. However, even if it’s an informal question, you can reply in a formal way.
When someone uses “how are things?” odds are that they are acting in an informal way, as they are figuratively asking about the current state of your life.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.