What have you been up to lately
What have you been up to lately
7 best answers to the questions “What have you been up to?”
“What have you been up to” is a question that may seem vague but opens up room for infinite possibilities. Most of the time, it’s a casual way of asking about you and your activities. Sometimes it’s simple courtesy. So depending on the context, you need to formulate your answer.
This isn’t a question someone would ask a stranger. That’s because it implies that this person talked to you on a previous occasion. Now they’re curious about what happened in your life in the period of time between your last encounter and the present.
When someone asks this, it’s normal to talk about work, study, romantic relationships, or a shared hobby. A friend might be curious about what you’ve been doing, or a stranger might be polite when asking this question. Since this question is so broad, the answer will depend on your relationship with this person and how much time you have to chat. Let’s explore in detail several scenarios and the 7 best answers to the question “what have you been up to?”
Table of Contents
1. If You Want to Keep It Vague and Simple
Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple. Some people say: “what have you been up to?” to be polite.
You can also say this if you aren’t fond of the person asking but don’t want to sound rude. Or maybe you don’t feel like explaining your recent details.
This way you’re expressing gratitude and interest in this person. But you’re also letting them know that you’re busy at the moment.
Keeping it vague closes the door for conversation. So if you want to keep talking, it’s best to say something else.
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2. If You Want To Answer About a Shared Hobby
One great way to answer this question is by thinking about the shared hobbies or interests that you have with this person.
This is good for bonding with someone else without getting into personal details about one’s life.
3. If You Want to Explore Your Recent Events
Some people are more than polite when they ask: “what have you been up to?” it can mean something like: “Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while, I want to catch up with you.”
If you believe that this person really cares about you, then why not tell them about your day and the things you’ve done recently?
4. If You Want to Talk About Emotional and Deep Topics
Depending on who’s asking, you can reveal certain thoughts.
When the people in your life know that you’re through hard times, they might ask this question. When they care about you, they’ll want to check up on you. And because the question is so ambiguous, you can decide whether or not you want to share anything.
It’s funny and it implies that there is a lot going on.
5. If You Want to Continue From A Past Conversation
On certain occasions, you can answer this question from a previous conversation or event.
So, let’s say you start a project and you tell your friend about this. When you meet two weeks later, you can pick up from that conversation and say something like:
Answering in the present continuous implies that it’s something that you’re currently doing. You can use this when you want to keep a person informed on a particular topic. Or you can use this when you don’t want to get personal and talk about how you’ve been.
6. If You Want to Listen, Instead of Talking
This question creates the perfect setting for a one-on-one conversation.
7. If You Want to Escape Implicit Accusations
Parents tend to ask this question when they suspect their child has done something out of the ordinary. An adolescent getting home late can expect to hear “what have you been up to?”
However, these accusations can be told with a funny tone. For example, parents can see their toddlers with suspicious smiles on their faces and ask this question in a light manner.
Summary
The question “what have you been up to?” is common to hear. It can vary from honest curiosity to simple politeness.
The answer you give will depend on your relationship with this person, how much time you have to speak, and how much you’re willing to share.
Keep that in mind the next time someone asks you this question, so you can know exactly what to say.
Martin is the founder of Grammarhow.com. With top grades in English and teaching experience at university level, he is on a mission to share all of his knowledge about the English language. Having written thousands of articles, he is an expert at explaining difficult topics in a simple language.
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What have you been up to lately
Some ways to answer would be
«Not much, what about you?» If you haven’t really been doing much. If you want to explain something you’ve been up to, you could say
«I’ve been spending a lot of time playing tennis and reading» or another example like that
Символ показывает уровень знания интересующего вас языка и вашу подготовку. Выбирая ваш уровень знания языка, вы говорите пользователям как им нужно писать, чтобы вы могли их понять.
Мне трудно понимать даже короткие ответы на данном языке.
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Могу формулировать все виды общих вопросов. Понимаю ответы средней длины и сложности.
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What have you been up to lately
@miracle566 “son zamanlarda ne yapıyorsun”
thank you 🙂
Символ показывает уровень знания интересующего вас языка и вашу подготовку. Выбирая ваш уровень знания языка, вы говорите пользователям как им нужно писать, чтобы вы могли их понять.
Мне трудно понимать даже короткие ответы на данном языке.
Могу задавать простые вопросы и понимаю простые ответы.
Могу формулировать все виды общих вопросов. Понимаю ответы средней длины и сложности.
Понимаю ответы любой длины и сложности.
Решайте свои проблемы проще в приложении!
( 30 698 )
What have you been up to lately
*What have you been up to lately*
Символ показывает уровень знания интересующего вас языка и вашу подготовку. Выбирая ваш уровень знания языка, вы говорите пользователям как им нужно писать, чтобы вы могли их понять.
Мне трудно понимать даже короткие ответы на данном языке.
Могу задавать простые вопросы и понимаю простые ответы.
Могу формулировать все виды общих вопросов. Понимаю ответы средней длины и сложности.
Понимаю ответы любой длины и сложности.
Решайте свои проблемы проще в приложении!
( 30 698 )