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Jan 30, 2024 · Here are 10 polite responses. “I apologize for any concern my absence may have caused. I’ve been attending to some personal matters, but I’m here now.”. “Thank you for your concern. I’ve been dealing with a few things, but I’m back and ready to engage.”. “I appreciate your patience.
‘Where have you been’ is a very common phrase in English and it’s normally used with people that you know who you haven’t seen for a while. We use this phrase when we normally see someone at certain times but we didn’t see that person at those times.
Apr 19, 2018 · Native speakers would typically say "I have never been here before" in this context. You are talking about the place where you are currently, so here is correct. But the sentence "I have never been here" sounds self-contradictory: how can you have never been in the place where you are right now?
- What you said is correct and natural. You use "here" when the place is near your current position, while "there" is used when the place is far from...
- I would have said Sorry I am late. I had never been here. Because I would, at that moment, be there. Of course, I am not there now, so I do not use...
- The answer to the question you asked is very clear: we say "here" when you are describing a place you are in (physically or metaphorically), and "t...
- Overview
- “How Have You Been?” Meaning
- “How Have You Been?” Pronunciation
- Short Responses
- Longer Responses
- Keeping the Conversation Going
Have a great conversation in English with these easy-to-use responses to “How have you been?”
“How Have You Been?” Meaning
“How Have You Been?” Pronunciation
You’re meeting up with someone you haven’t seen in a while, and they start off with the question “How have you been?” It’s such a simple question, but what exactly does the other person want to know, and how are you supposed to answer? We’re here to walk you through some examples of responses that will work for lots of different situations and allow you to have a great and meaningful conversation.
Respond with a short, simple answer, such as “Good,” “Great,” or “Not bad” to get the conversation going.
Offer details about your travels, work, or hobbies to give a longer answer and let the person know what you’ve been up to.
“How have you been?” is asked as a casual conversation starter.
This question is usually asked when you haven’t seen the person in a while. Since it’s just a conversation starter, the other person won’t always be expecting a genuine answer. Therefore, it’s normal to just reply with a simple “Good” or “Not bad.” It’s also a question that is only asked if you know the person, and isn’t something you ask someone you just met.
which can be asked at any time.
If you just met someone,
ask them “How are you?”
instead of “How have you been?”
“How have you been?” is usually pronounced as “How’ve you been?”
“how’ve” instead of pronouncing “how” and “have” separately. The “you” is often pronounced as “ya” when spoken quickly. So the entire question would sound like “How’ve ya been?”
This is one of the most standard responses people give when asked how they’ve been. Even when you haven’t been doing all that great, it’s acceptable to use an answer like this. And if you’ve been doing really well, use other adjectives to express that. Some examples are:
This is a neutral answer. You haven’t been great, but you also haven’t been doing too terribly either. Some other ways to phrase this are:
This is a response that lets the other person know that you actually haven’t been doing too great. You’re not obligated to tell them everything’s been great when it hasn’t. Just be prepared for the possibility of having to elaborate a bit more. It’s natural for the other person to show concern and ask follow up questions.
“Not great, but we’re getting there.”
“Honestly? Things have been better.”
“Things have been a bit rough lately.”
Mention any activities you’ve been doing recently.
Pick one or two things that you’ve been doing recently, such as studying, reading, or exercising. When answering, It’s more natural to start off with one of the standard short responses (“Good,” “Not bad,” “Alright,” etc.) and add a longer response after that.
“Good. I’ve been reading a lot of interesting books lately.”
“Not bad. I’ve been studying a lot for finals.”
“Great! I’ve been taking dance lessons at my gym.”
“I’ve been better. I’ve just been doing lots of work for my job.”
Ask the other person the same question.
After you’ve answered, ask the other person how they’ve been doing. This is common courtesy. It also gives the other person a chance to talk.
“Not bad. How about you?”
“Pretty good. What about you?”
This is a great way to include the other person in the conversation. You’re asking for their opinion and giving them the chance to speak.
“I’ve been good. Did you hear about the new restaurant coming to town?”
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Rihanna - Where Have You Been (Lyrics) Stream Where Have You Been: https://lnk.to/WHYBRihanna Spotify Playlist: Spotify Playlist : https://Popular-Music.lnk.to/Spotify...
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The verb go has two past participle forms: been and gone. We use been when we know that someone has returned from a place. Dad's been to the supermarket. (= He went and now he has come back.) We use gone when the person has not returned.
