muckefuck: (Default)
muckefuck ([personal profile] muckefuck) wrote2009-03-09 01:39 pm

Simple question for Monday

What is your favourite response to "How are you?"-type questions?
What response(s) would you wink out of existence if you could?

[identity profile] muckefuck.livejournal.com 2009-03-09 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
你吃飯了嗎?

Our Chinese teacher was a little taken aback to find we knew about this, because she considers it a rather familiar question--something you'd ask a friend you see regularly but not a social superior, apparently.

The Korean equivalent is 밥먹었어요? and it's also very casual and familiar. There's also a Japanese version.

Whenever this comes up in discussion, there are always some younger American English speakers who have to point out the homegrown version: "Jeet yet?"

[identity profile] wwidsith.livejournal.com 2009-03-10 08:40 am (UTC)(link)
Ha, this reminds me of the infamous (probably apocryphal) line with which unwelcome visitors are greeted in Scotland: "You'll have had your tea."