Do you use "How do you do?" I think "Nice to meet you" is more popular. Are there any differences between two? Thanks for answerig my question. I learned how to answer "how do you do" is only "ho

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mami

Do you use "How do you do?" I think "Nice to meet you" is more popular. Are there any differences between two? Thanks for answerig my question. I learned how to answer "how do you do" is only "how do you do" at school. James and Cherry seem to have different answers. Does it depend on each country? Can I use "how do you do" for same persons and acquaintances in different occasions repeatedly for every country? In that case, is "how do you do" understood as "how are you?"

May 25, 2010 8:30 AM

Answers · 10

Whilst they mean effectively the same thing, there is a big difference in feeling between "how do you do" and "nice to meet you". First, please note that "how do you do" is not a question, so there should be no question mark. The correct reply to "how do you do" is simply "how do you do", not "fine, thank you". The difference between these two expressions is that "how do you do" is formal, and "nice to meet you" is informal (it's also very American). If I meet somebody important, or if I wanted to make a good impression, I would say "how do you do". I would never say "nice to meet you" as this sounds too informal, and in the UK it is also considered to be poor English and may be considered by some to show a lack of class and education. If you want to use this kind of expression, I think "pleased to meet you" would be much better.

May 25, 2010