Difference between "doing" and "going"

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Can we say "everything is going fine" instead of "everything is doing fine" when somebody asks you "Whats going on these days?"

Regards and thanks Smile

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You can say either one, but, for the Americans at least, the common response would be "Everything's fine."

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@Razer,

going is spelled with a g and doing is spelled with a d

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@Razer,

Razer wrote:

Can we say "everything is going fine" instead of "everything is doing fine" when somebody asks you "Whats going on these days?"

Note: When speaking in a general sense, people do well, things go well. You would not say "everything is doing well". You might say "Everybody is doing well."

The question "Whats going on these days?" requires an informative answer. (Note the "what"). It means "Please give me an idea of what is going on these days."

To get the answer "Everything is going fine." (a qualitative answer) you would have to ask "How are things going these days?" or "Are things going well these days?"

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@Setanta,

Quote:

but, for the Americans at least, the common response would be "Everything's fine."

Assiduously researched, no doubt.

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@Razer,

Quote:

Can we say "everything is going fine" instead of "everything is doing fine" when somebody asks you "Whats going on these days?"

What's the context here, Razer and where do you see that question being used?

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@Razer,

Neither response seems to apply to the question that was asked.

If the question was "how are things going?" then the first option would work.

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@ehBeth,

ehBeth wrote:

Neither response seems to apply to the question that was asked.

If the question was "how are things going?" then the first option would work.

Which agrees with what I said.

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Thanks everybody for your help, guidance and replies. It helps me understand the fine distinction between things. So in reply to "What's going on these days?" can I say "Nothing special. As usual busy with work, markets and studies." ? Smile

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Yes, you can, and it would be a reasonable response in English.

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@Setanta,

Thanks Setanta. Have gone with this in the end "Nothing special. Everything is fine. Just as usual busy with work, markets and studies" . Hopefully this response would also be correct. Smile

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@Razer,

So in reply to "What's going on these days?" ...

I don't believe that this question is a normal neutral question, Razer. With the right context, right people, it would be fine but to person who was more a stranger, it might be considered abrupt.

Much more neutral:

How are things going for you these days/in your life?

Your example, more neutral:

What's going on in your life these days?

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@JTT,

Quote:

I don't believe that this question is a normal neutral question, Razer. With the right context, right people, it would be fine but to person who was more a stranger, it might be considered abrupt.

No special context, it was a casual question by my friend. These types are questions are generally context-less. Smile

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@Razer,

Razer wrote:

No special context, it was a casual question by my friend. These types are questions are* generally context-less.**

*This type of question is

**Nothing is context-less.

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Difference between "doing" and "going"

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