Responses given to a statement have to be determined by what the statement means. What would you say if a person shows up and just says [Howdy]? What would you say if it’s a stranger? What would you say if a friend says it in the middle of a conversation?
[Howdy] is a word used to greet people. It can be used to mean [Hello]. It can also be used to mean How do you do?
Depending on how the word is used, you can know what it means and how to respond. Below is a list of acceptable responses to [Howdy].
20 ways to Respond to Howdy
- Howdy too
- Hi
- How do I look?
- How’s your life going?
- What’s up?
- You’re looking good.
- Good day.
- Morning
- Pushing as hard as I can.
- [Howdy] yourself.
- I’m doing okay.
- How are you doing?
- Ciao
- It’s been a while
- So good to see you.
- Well done.
- Ayo!
- Can I help you?
- It’s the same old me.
- You look like you’re doing better.
Howdy too
[Howdy], as mentioned earlier, has several meanings. It can be used to get a person’s attention in which case it will be translated to mean Hello. It can also be used as a question asking about a person’s welfare [How do you do?]
It’s initially mentioned meaning is most commonly known. Its translation as Hello makes it a perfect response to itself. When a person says Hello to you, it is common to respond by saying Hello. It is a response you have probably used once or twice already.
[Howdy] may come as a question about your welfare and this response will be incorrect.
Hi
[Hi] is a common greeting word that requires no new explanation. It is used just as often as Hello. Another greeting word that is used with equal regularity is [Hey].
[Hi] can be used to start conversations over a text, on a phone call, or even while you are standing right in front of the person you’re talking to. It works as a response to everyday greeting words too. Therefore, you can simply say [Hi] when a person greets you with [Howdy].
When a person says [Howdy] amid a conversation that has already started, it’s asking about your welfare and you are expected to answer the question rather than greet.
How do I look?
This is an unusual response. It feels only useful in special cases but it can be used in several situations and meanings can be attributed to this response.
When a person says [Howdy] or [Hello], you are expected to greet back. This is not the expected response and it will sound absurd. This doesn’t make it forbidden if you were standing in front of a mirror and preparing for a cocktail party.
This is however a great response if a person asks about your welfare. By asking how you look, you are either saying you are obviously looking great or obviously not.
How’s your life going?
This is a question about welfare. You have probably heard it once or twice or even asked a person this question. It comes in a conversation after the greeting has happened.
Like compliments, welfare questions may also replace greeting words. Some people may skip the part where they reply to the question and just say a compliment or ask a welfare question.
In some cases, the question is impulsively accepted as a response to the greeting and the conversation continues without an answer to the question.
When a person greets you with [Howdy], you have the choice of greeting first before saying this. You can also choose to say this immediately without responding with a Hi or Hello. You have to show immense surprise if you are responding immediately though.
This question should not come as a response to a welfare question unless you answer the question first.
What’s up?
This is another regularly used welfare question; probably overused at this stage. While the question should ask about a person’s day, life, or issues, it has stepped up a notch with its meaning, virtually overtaking other greeting words in starting conversations.
When a person says Hello, it is a usual thing to say [What’s up?] back. This question may even start a conversation first. You can walk up to a friend and simply say [What’s up?].
Rather than answering the question, he/she may just greet back. The tenacious use of this word disallows you from expecting an honest response when you say this question.
You can have to respond to this question over 5 times in one day. With time, people have developed usual responses that no longer express the truth or how they feel anymore.
When [Howdy] asks about you, you have to answer the question. You should never respond with a question unless it is rhetorical.
You’re looking good
We have responded to [Howdy] with common greeting words and cliché questions. Another accepted way to respond to a greeting is by saying a compliment back.
If you haven’t done this before, you have probably seen a person loudly say [You are looking beautiful] to a friend with a tone of surprise without greeting first. People greet with compliments mostly when they are surprised
When you are greeted with [Howdy], this is a perfect response unless the person isn’t looking good. You will make the person check himself or herself out before responding. It has to be a friend, however.
Your tone of surprise may suggest a lot of familiarities with whom you’re referring to so you have to respond to the greeting before saying a compliment if you are talking to a stranger.
When you are enquired about your welfare, this response may be absurd also because you should talk about yourself rather than the other person.
Good day
This is another common expression but it is quite special. It is the same as saying [Good morning] or [Good afternoon] and may not be considered cliché despite how often it is used. It is mostly used when you can’t think of what time of day it is.
With this expression, you can greet anyone at any time and you don’t have to worry about the awkwardness of saying [Good afternoon] in the morning.
This does not only greet a person but also can be used to respond to a greeting. You can say this to strangers. You can also use it when talking to close friends, although a less formal response may be desired.
When you are asked about your welfare, you shouldn’t greet so [Good day] won’t work unless you are saying [Having a good day]. You can talk about having a good day and your response will be perfect.
Morning
This is similar to greeting a person by saying [Good day] but it is choosy in the situations it is accepted in.
Like other responses, it sounds awkward when responding to the wrong question or gesture. It will also sound absurd when responding to a greeting but at the wrong time of day.
When a person greets you with [Howdy], you can say this or [Good morning] if it’s still morning time. If not, it will sound preposterous.
However, nothing will sound more preposterous than saying [Morning] when a person asks [How do you do?]
Pushing as hard as I can
This answers a question about yourself. It is one of the few responses given to [How do you do?] on this list. You may want to use this response but you will have to consider its meaning first.
When you are greeted with [Howdy], you are expected to respond with a greeting, though many like to use a compliment which is quite acceptable. A comment about yourself will not fit in. It may not even be understood.
However, when you are asked how you are doing, this question gives a clear answer. It implies that you are making consistent efforts to survive. If you’re not trying to pass the message of you struggling, you can consider a more positive response.
Howdy yourself
This is not a polite response or one that should be expected but it is a possible response that will be understood. It is not grammatically correct either.
You can say this in both cases; when you are greeted and when you are asked about yourself. When you say this, it shows you are not in a good mood or you are angry with the person talking to you.
Do not use this response if you don’t want the person to think so.
I’m doing okay
This is one of the most common responses given to virtually all welfare questions. People simply say [I am doing okay] or [I am fine].
At times, this is true but there is a high chance the person did not bother thinking about the question before answering.
When a person greets you with [Howdy], this response doesn’t greet back or say a compliment so it may not fit.
When you are asked about your welfare, you can say this if you mean it. You can also say it if you don’t want further questions about yourself.
Due to the frequency of welfare questions, this is one of the responses many people tend to say impulsively even when they don’t mean it.
How are you doing?
This is a question about your welfare. It is one of the questions that are excessively asked even when the questioner does not care whether you respond or not.
When you are greeted with [Howdy], you can respond with this but you have to answer the greeting first. It’s possible you greet a person first by saying [Hello], then the person says [Hello].
The person has responded to your greeting so you can go ahead and ask about the person’s welfare with this question.
When you are asked about your welfare, it is not right to throw a question back if you don’t answer the person’s question first. However, there are tactical ways to throw the question back in a less preposterous manner.
Ciao
Ciao is Italian, French, and English. It is used as a form of general greeting so you can use this while arriving at a place or departing.
When you are greeted with [Howdy], you can say ciao since [Hello] is used on arrival or to merely recognize a person.
When you are asked about your welfare, this response will be very weird since there is no correlation in any form.
It’s been a while
This is simply a comment on how long you have met or spoken with a person. This is one of the few responses on the list that work in both situations where [Howdy] can be used.
You can comment on how long it has been since you met a person when the person greets you. It shows that you are surprised to see the person.
When you are asked about your welfare, you can also say this before answering if you didn’t make the comment while the conversation was starting.
So good to see you
This is another response that expresses your astonishment to see or meet with a person. You have to be talking to someone you haven’t seen in a long time or someone you are not expecting to see around.
You can say this at the start of a conversation when a person says Hello or [Howdy]. It may sound absurd as a response to a question about your welfare but you can say this before giving an actual answer to the question.
Well done
Howdy can be used to greet and ask about your welfare. There are certain ways a person can respond to greetings and welfare questions. However, there are different kinds of greetings that may require different kinds of responses.
Have you ever seen a person you know in a gathering whom you want to greet but won’t have a conversation with? This often happens when two people are busy or they have nothing to say.
When a person says [Howdy] just to show that you are recognized, you can use short responses like [Well done].
Ayo!
When someone gets your attention with [Howdy], you may want to respond with Ayo. It is used to express surprise so, apparently, it will sound stupid in some conversations.
You should only use this if it’s a person who understands why you would be surprised to see him/her. This response does not answer a question about your welfare.
Can I help you?
This is not the first time you are hearing this question. If a stranger walks up to you and says [Howdy], you can ask this question to know what he/she wants with you.
If it’s a person you already know, this will be found impolite so you may want to consider whom you’re talking to before saying to.
It’s the same old me
This is a comment about yourself. It answers the question about your welfare. However, it is not a response to [Howdy] when the word is used as a greeting.
When a person says [Howdy] after the salutation moment of a conversation, it is asking about your welfare. Giving this response implies that you have no story to tell since nothing has changed with you.
You look like you’re doing better
This is a comment about the other person but it is a beautiful response to a question about your welfare. It does not respond to [Hello] so you can’t say this when you are greeted with [Howdy].
When you are asked [How do you do?], this response implies that the person looks like he/she is doing better than you. This passes the message that you don’t have a lot to say.
It throws a compliment back at the person while indirectly asking about the person’s welfare.
Even though there is no question in the statement, the other person will want to comment about himself or herself while trying to push the compliment back to you.