12 Best Answers to “How Have You Been?”

“How have you been?” is a common reply in English. Native speakers use it all the time when they haven’t seen someone for a while and want to check-in. This article will explore some of the best ways to reply to “how have you been?”

The best answers to “how have you been?” are “I’ve been good,” “I’ve been swell,” and “wonderful!” These are simple expressions you can use to let someone know that you’ve been going well. You may also swap the adjective for a negative one if you haven’t been feeling good.

1. I’ve Been Good

“I’ve been good” is one of the most common responses to “how have you been?” It shows that you’ve been “good.” This is an informal way to let someone know that you feel positive and happy.

You may also swap “good” for any positive or negative adjective. If you think it works for you, then you can use it.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been good. Thanks for asking. What about you?

• How have you been?
• Yeah, I’ve been good. Things have been a bit weird lately, though.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been good. I feel like it’s been forever since we last saw each other.

2. I’ve Been Swell

“I’ve been swell” is a funny response you can use to show that you are having a great time. “Swell” is a jokey adjective used to show that you’ve had the best time with your life lately.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been swell! I hope you’ve been holding out alright as well.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been swell, thank you. I’m not sure what I’m going to do in the future, though.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been swell. Trust me. Things couldn’t be going any better right now.

3. Wonderful!

“Wonderful!” is a great option as a reply. You can keep your reply simple by only using one word like this when you want to announce how positive (or negative) your life has been.

You may also have some success with one-word negative replies, such as “awful!” or “terrible!”

• How have you been?
• Wonderful! Things are finally starting to look up for me.

• How have you been?
• Wonderful! I have been really enjoying my time alone lately. It’s been great.

• How have you been?
• Wonderful! I can’t complain about anything. How about you?

4. Not Too Bad

“Not too bad” is a great professional response you can use. It is also a good option if you don’t want to reveal much about your life. It shows that you have had nothing worth mentioning to someone.

• How have you been?
• Not too bad, thanks. Not a lot has happened in my life lately, I’m afraid.

• How have you been?
• Not too bad. Though, I would like things to start getting a bit better for me.

• How have you been?
• Not too bad. I want to see how things go moving forward.

5. Meh

“Meh” is an informal exclamation showing you do not wish to explain how things are going. It usually indicates that things aren’t as positive as you might want them to be. It’s also a good response if you’re not fond of the person asking you how you are.

• How have you been?
• Meh. I think things have been quite bad, but at least they’re not dire yet.

• How have you been?
• Meh. I suppose I can’t complain. I have nothing to sing about, either.

• How have you been?
• Meh. I don’t really know how to answer that. Things have been a bit rough lately.

6. I’ve Been Okay

“I’ve been okay” is a simple reply you can use in many cases. It shows that you’ve been “okay” for the most part, allowing you to give a basic response without having to dive too deeply into how you feel.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been okay, but I’m having a hard time settling into my new workplace.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been okay, thanks. What about you? I hear you’ve moved upstate.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been okay. Nothing much has happened since the last time we spoke.

7. There’s Not Much to Report

“There’s not much to report” is a great professional reply you can use. It shows that you don’t want to tell someone much about your life. “Report” is used here as a more formal way to show that you’re not willing to share much.

• How have you been?
• There’s not much to report right now. I’ll let you know whenever something comes up.

• How have you been?
• I’m afraid there’s not much to report. I don’t have a lot going on in my life.

• How have you been?
• Trust me. There’s not much to report. My life has been at a standstill for months.

8. I’ve Had Highs and Lows

“I’ve had highs and lows” is a great professional response if you want to keep things formal. It shows that things haven’t “been” that good for you, but you’re trying your best to make the most of them.

Life always has “highs” and “lows.” It’s just a part of living and growing. You have to go through good and bad times to become the best version of yourself.

• How have you been?
• I’ve had highs and lows, to be fair. What about you? You seem really happy.

• How have you been?
• I’ve had highs and lows, and I really miss seeing you as much as we used to.

• How have you been?
• I’ve had highs and lows. I hope things will start to look more positive in the future.

9. How Much Time Do You Have?

“How much time do you have?” is a good choice for funny responses. It shows that you have a lot to unload on someone and is often used in a more jokey way.

It’s a good one if you don’t want to give someone a complete rundown of what you’ve gone through lately.

• How have you been?
• How much time do you have? There’s a lot of stuff that I need to unpackage.

• How have you been?
• Well, how much time do you have? I could give you a simple answer, or I could tell you what’s going on.

• How have you been?
• How much time do you have? I don’t think you realize how much I have to unload for that question.

10. I Don’t Remember

“I don’t remember” is another funny response showing that so much has happened in your life that you couldn’t possibly remember the details. It’s a bit of a sarcastic comment as it’s easy to remember most of the things you’ve done in your life.

You should only use this one if the person asking doesn’t mind a bit of sarcastic wit. If they know you well, this response should be fine.

• How have you been?
• I don’t remember! It’s been so long since we met; I can’t remember how my life has been.

• How have you been?
• I don’t remember. I’m sure things have been fine, but I’ve forgotten about specific events.

• How have you been?
• Oh, you know me! I don’t remember! I never remember what I get up to.

11. Just Perfect

“Just perfect” is a clear way to show that you’ve had a great time lately. It shows that things have gone really well for you, and you’re really happy with where you’re at in life.

You may sometimes find that “just perfect” is used sarcastically. When this is the case, it implies that someone has had the complete opposite experience, meaning their life has been anything but perfect.

• How have you been?
• Just perfect! I couldn’t ask for things to be going better than they are now.

• How have you been?
• Just perfect, thank you. I really enjoy the time I get to myself.

• How have you been?
• Just perfect. I wouldn’t change any of this for the world. I’m happy here.

12. I’ve Been Making the Most of It

“I’ve been making the most of it” shows that you’ve been enjoying your time however you feel you can. It’s a good choice if you usually have a stressful lifestyle but have found things to do that have allowed you to relax a bit.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been making the most of it. You know how these things go, though.

• How have you been?
• After the breakup, I’ve been making the most of it. I hope you’ve kept well.

• How have you been?
• I’ve been making the most of it. It’s been a struggle, but I’m going my best.

Is It Correct to Say “How Have You Been”?

“How have you been?” is correct to say. It’s a great question to ask someone when you want to find out how they’re feeling.

It’s similar to asking, “how are you.” Including “have you been” instead of “are you” shows that you might not have spoken to the person for a while.

“Have you been” implies it’s been a long time since you last asked how someone felt.