Everyday English · CEFR A2 · Everyday
How is it going? Not bad. — Everyday english
The opening exchange is fixed and short, and the answer is expected to bounce back with "and you?". Answering at length is the mistake.
The shape
How is / How are… · Not bad · Fine, thanks — and you?
Get through the first thirty seconds of a conversation.
In Hindi
बातचीत की शुरुआत तय और छोटी होती है, और जवाब के बाद "and you?" लौटाना अपेक्षित है।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
How are you? — I am fine and my family is also fine and today I woke up late. | How are you? — Not bad, thanks. And you? This exchange is a greeting, not a question about your day. |
How is it going? Not bad. examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
Good morning.
शुभ प्रभात।
Good evening.
शुभ संध्या।
Good night.
शुभ रात्रि।
How are you?
आप कैसे हैं?
See you again.
फिर मिलते हैं।
also correct: See you.
See you tomorrow.
कल मिलते हैं।
Take care.
अपना ध्यान रखना।
Nice to meet you.
आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा।
Nice to meet you too.
मुझे भी आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा।
Have a good day.
आपका दिन अच्छा रहे।
Questions people ask
- What is the how is it going? not bad. used for?
- The opening exchange is fixed and short, and the answer is expected to bounce back with "and you?". Answering at length is the mistake. In practice: get through the first thirty seconds of a conversation.
- How do you form the how is it going? not bad.?
- How is / How are… · Not bad · Fine, thanks — and you?.
- What is the most common mistake with the how is it going? not bad.?
- Saying “How are you? — I am fine and my family is also fine and today I woke up late.” instead of “How are you? — Not bad, thanks. And you?”. This exchange is a greeting, not a question about your day.
Where how is it going? not bad. fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
How is it going? Not bad. is a CEFR A2 structure — the everyday band — and it belongs to everyday english. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
Practise the how is it going? not bad. →