How do you respond to the greeting “you alright”?

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sicilianprincipessa@reddit

‘yeah you?’ And then not hanging around for a response because they aren’t really enquiring and nor am I’.

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oynsy@reddit

It's a rhetorical question

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NaughtyDred@reddit

I hate people like you

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sicilianprincipessa@reddit

🤣 why on earth?

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NaughtyDred@reddit

Because when I greet someone 'alright' I'm just saying 'hello', and I've already moved on when I realize what you said and out of politeness now have to awkwardly turn round, pretend I was genuinely asking how you were and call out 'yeah cheers'.

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teedyay@reddit

This is correct. Your reply is entirely incidental; the important thing is that you ask back (and then their reply is also meaningless). If it’s someone I know well, and with whom I can be open that life isn’t perfect, I might go as far as, “yeeeeah, not bad. Yourself?”

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sicilianprincipessa@reddit

You’re a polite soul my friend. I don’t even ask more than that to my nearest and dearest 😀

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Emotional-Cow-5897@reddit

Just say yeah all good, yourself? We are chilled people, don't worry 😉 😊

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NovelShelter7489@reddit

Alright thank, alright ta.

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EuphoricGrapefruit32@reddit

I say 'yeah ta, you?' Or just 'hiya' and walk on.

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Puzzleheaded_Turn887@reddit

I hate it. I’m from the UK and I do actually answer it like they asked how I am. But really, it means hey. They don’t expect an answer!

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Postik123@reddit

I always reply with, "Good thanks, how about you?" "You alright?" is similar to "How are you?" It's kind of polite but unless you know someone really well nobody ever says anything other than "Good thanks" or "Not too bad" I know a couple of people who instead of saying "How are you?" they said, "So, what do you know?" and in all honesty I never know how to respond to that.

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Cant-decide-username@reddit

Alright

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obbitz@reddit

Occasionally.

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TobsterVictorSierra@reddit

"Aye not so bad, yourself?". Expect a similar response again, even if you're both on adjacent beds in a trauma ward.

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Able_Resident_1291@reddit

"Yeah, you alright?" is the correct response regardless of how alright you are. Bonus points if you say it all as one drawling run-on word like "Yeahyoualright?". They may then reply with "Yeah" but don't feel like you have to wait for that.

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ChaosGoW@reddit

I am alive against my will. Please help me.

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King_Kongs_fingers@reddit

anything other than 'living the dream'.

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Ilsluggo@reddit

I sometimes respond enthusiastically, “Livin’ the dream baby, livin’ the dream”. It usually gets a good laugh.

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MahatmaAndhi@reddit

Yeah, not bad, ta. You?

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derpyfloofus@reddit

I reply “alright” in a way that serves as both an answer and a question.

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CanIhazCooKIenOw@reddit

What I hear the most is "not too bad" which is weird to me because it puts a negative spin to things - to me the answer would be, "all good".

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SchruteFarmsIntel@reddit

No other reply than "Aye" thats it.

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PuppyGirlRya@reddit

'Ah not bad, yourself?'

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flummuxedsloth@reddit

I tend to respond with "alright" (ambiguous question mark). Satisfies my instinct to treat it as a actual question whilst also complying to social norms.

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flummuxedsloth@reddit

I go into panic mode if someone greats me with "Whats up?" though.

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ooh_bit_of_bush@reddit

Yeyu

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Designer_Government4@reddit

If in passing just a slight upward nod of the head and repeat it back, or maybe just “alright”. If stopping for a chat; “not bad mate, you?”.

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Used-Ad9589@reddit

Head bob if you are, nut them if you aren't?

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MonsterMunch86@reddit

Yeah not bad, you?

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Limp_Ganache2983@reddit

“I woke up dry, and I could remember my own name…”

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Forsaken-Tip-9525@reddit

Sound, you?

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NrthnLd75@reddit

Fair to middling.

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Mountainenthusiast2@reddit

“Yea thanks you?” Or “hey you’re alright” back to them, reverse uno.

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MathematicianOdd4999@reddit

Good you?

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RustyChuck@reddit

It literally just means “hi”. Just say “good thanks” and move on.

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Existingsquid@reddit

Feck off

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Suspicious-Bug6588@reddit

The typical response "alright mate." I like to go in with the "fine thanks, how are you?" to throw them off but I guess I'm just a sadist.

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KaloolFantasia@reddit

I do the same. Crazy how so many people are taken aback when you them how they are doing too

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Suspicious-Bug6588@reddit

The thing is, I actually want the answer, it isn't just a nicety. I've met some mad people with amazing stories and had great chats stemming from the simple "how about you? suffix.

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ItsUs-YouKnow-Us@reddit

The answer is always “yeah, you” even if I am on fire.

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E5evo@reddit

‘Aye canny, what fettle yersel’? There’s a Kosovan guy at work who always greets me with ‘alright Dave’?! Mind you, he’s lived here longer than he lived in Kosovo.

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BuncleCar@reddit

There are videos on YouTube by Americans living in the UK being puzzled by this enquiry as in the USA it'd mean you seemed to be unwell in some way. But as they find out it's no more a query as to if you're REALLY alright than an American asking you 'What's Up' is a query as to what is happening vertically.

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Ashamed_North348@reddit

Yeah you?

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Push-the-pink-button@reddit

sound, you?

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thedudeisalwayshere@reddit

I just say "good", I used to say "I'm good, you?" But I always get ignored when I ask so I just stopped since its pointless.

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JackStrawWitchita@reddit

"It is what it is, bro. All good?" and keep walking.

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DeirdreBarstool@reddit

I work with a lot of people who are not natives and they say hi, I say ‘alright?’ And they don’t reply. I don’t mind, because it isn’t a true question and I’m not genuinely enquiring if they’re alright. So you can just reply hi or something like ‘alright, you?’

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Stock_Pepper_9308@reddit

Mine is 'yeah alright, ta. You?'

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Excellent_Low_2887@reddit

Alright!

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CoolJetReuben@reddit

AFFIRMATORY

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Specific_Telephone_3@reddit

Yeah you? Not too bad thanks, you? Can't complain, you? Hanging in there, you?

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Dumuzzid@reddit

Them: Ah-right? You: Ah-right? That's the gist of it.

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palmwick48@reddit

This or “yeah you” is the correct answer

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ribonucleus@reddit

Yes thanks. You?

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TheWanderingEyebrow@reddit

Alright you

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Mdl8922@reddit

Yeah mate, you?

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Upbeat_Primary_1351@reddit

"Good, you" and then usually you're gone. It's not an invitation to actually say how you are. That would likely be horrifying to the person who asked, as they neither care nor wish to know. A real friend who wants to know will say "you look like shit, what's up". That's a good friend lol

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indigo263@reddit

If it's in the passing then usually just 'yeah good, you?', if I kinda know them a bit I'll probably be more 'yeah, not bad thanks, yourself?' and if I know them well then I'll be fairly honest and say 'oh, you know, I'm here 😂'

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IndieGuruGames@reddit

Even if I was missing a leg and bleeding out with minutes to live, the only acceptable response to "you alright?" is "fine, thanks. You?"

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CTLNBRN@reddit

When I moved to Australia is discovered asking if someone is alright (as in how I would greet people) is the equivalent of asking how someone is seriously over here. I had to adapt and started asking people ‘how are you?’ instead. Since moving back to the UK I now have a weird hybrid of both and I think people think I care more than just saying hello.

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ComprehensiveAd8815@reddit

“champion pal, hope you are too”

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Otherwise_Koala4289@reddit

Depends on the setting. If you're just passing, in the situation you describe, it's basically just a synonym for 'hello'. So you just say hi/hello/alright back. In a setting where it's more of a starting point for a conversation, then yeah you can answer with "yeah not bad, you?" or similar

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Evening-Tomatillo-47@reddit

Sounds fine to me.

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spinfold@reddit

"Y'alright?" and a nod of the head. It took years to realise that people didn't actually want to know how I was.

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spik0rwill@reddit

"Yep, you?"

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RodneyTheArmouryGuy@reddit

The point of the question is to acknowledge the other person but not start a proper conversation unless there is further context to do so. I tend to go with ‘not bad, you?’ because it’s non-committal but if they have something else they want to say, it doesn’t close the door on that.

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cgknight1@reddit

Yes it is a greeting not a real question. "Good thanks" "Good mate" "Yeah, good" All work.

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Competitive_Test6697@reddit

Depends on where you are, but mostly it just means "hello"

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Historical-Taro-6973@reddit

"Yeah not too bad how about yourself" Is how it tends to go for me

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