"How do you do?" vs. "How are you?"

You were misinformed--they are interchangeable . . . neither of them is offensive . . .

I think that there is a difference. If someone were introduced to me in a formal situation, I might reply, "how do you do?", or "Happy to meet you". In a less formal introduction, I would say,"Hi!".

If I knew a person, and were asking him about how he was feeling ,I would say, "how are you"? I would not say "how are you" to a complete stranger to whom I had just been introduced.

I agree with Phoenix.

Another point to note is that there is no correct answer to "How do you do?"; if someone says it to you, you should respond "How do you do?" yourself. (Yes, that's completely illogical, but since when have language and custom ever been logical?)

By contrast, if someone asks "How are you?" you should answer the question briefly and reciprocate the query, e.g. "Very well, thank you, and you?" On no account should you treat this an an invitation to describe your medical, financial or emotional state in detail.

I disagree on both points. I would address someone with "How are you?" as a simple greeting which had no reference to a supposed health condition. Furthermore, i was taught from earliest childhood that the correct response to "How do you do?" would be to the effect: "Quite well, thank you, and you?"

I think the two of you are talking through your respective hats on this one.

Interesting, Setanta. Perhaps we have come across another gulf between American and British usage, because what I said is certainly true in Britain.

Entirely possible, Boss--although i was born in Nuevo York, i was raised in the rural south in the 1950's . . . time and region may be an influence as well . . .

I personally like to say, "How do you do." It gives me more class and superiority.

Setanta, this brings to mind (from another thread) a word whose accentuation changes based on context. The Italian-American greeting "howyoudoin" changes from "howyoudoin" when it is a question to "howyoudoin" when it is an answer.

Very interesting, Valpower. I love the variety of human expression, and would rue the day when we all spoke alike.

Re: "How do you do?" vs. "How are you?"


"How do you do?" is a formal and, these days a more seldom used frozen formula in introductions.

A: My name is {____}. How do you do?

B: I'm {___}. How do you do?

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LDSWE: "Surprisingly, such expressions are generally rare in conversation. ... these idioms are used more commonly to represent stereotyped dialogue in fiction than in actual conversation."
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"How are you?" is used as a daily greeting but it too is rather stiff. More common among acquaintances is, "How are you doing?"

There is an older use for "How do you do" noted by Setanta but it's more the stuff of old cowboy shows and possibly regional dialects. This older use has given us "that's a fine how do you do' [howd'yedo].

Khorrami, all of the above answers are correct. These two greetings are almost interchangable, and the difference is small. Neither can give offense.