'How are you'.

Hey guys. It's Shane from English Understood here.

'How have you been' is a very common phrase

and it's normally used with someone you know

who you haven't seen for a while.

So if you haven't seen someone you know for two weeks,

one month, three months,

you can use the phrase 'How have you been'.

Let's pretend it's the 30th of April today.

The last time you saw friend was on the 1st of April.

That's about 29 days.

'How have you been' means in this time here,

'What was your condition?'

How were you during this time?

To answer this question, start by saying 'I've been'

and then say how you were.

When saying 'I've been' really quickly,

it normally sounds like 'I've been'.

I've been.

Now there are thousands of different ways to answer this question

but here are three common examples.

I've been good.

I've been busy.

I've been well.

This is a more formal answer.

Now you can also give more information

and give an example about what you have been doing during that time.

I've been busy with work.

I just got a new job two weeks ago.

And finally, you can use the phrase 'What about you'

to ask the other person how they have been.

I've been busy with work.

I just got a new job two weeks ago.

What about you?

Now let's pretend I haven't seen you for six weeks.

How have you been?

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