good, fine, well

[Pierce111]

I was convinced that on question "How are you?" correct answer is "I am good" or "I am fine". But today I heard on TV (News program) a sentence: "Hostage wished to tell his familly that he is well". Is it correct?

 

[SoothingDave]

"Well" meaning "in good health."

 

[emsr2d2]

"I am fine" and "I am [very] well" are perfectly acceptable. "I am good" is a phrase which has spread internationally from AmE and seems to be an accepted response, despite not being a technically correct response. I would not recommend that anyone use it in an exam situation.

 

[Barb_D]

Whlie I'm an automatic "fine" responder myself, I have to take the highly unusualy (for me) position of disagreeing with emsr2d2 over whether "I'm good" is correct.

We use an adjective, not an adverb, after a linking verb: I am happy, not I am happily. I am angry, not I am angrily.

So, yes, "well" is used to mean "in good health" in this case, but its correct status is not based on the fact that it's an adverb and therefore right. I see nothing grammatically wrong with the "good" response.

(You could always say "I'm doing well" which would require the adverb.)

 

[emsr2d2]

I have no problem with the phrase "I'm good" but in BrE it means "I'm well-behaved".

What are the kids in your class like?
They're really good.
Lucky you. The ones in my class are really bad!

I'm sure that the current generation growing up will accept "I'm good" as a response to "How are you?" without the faintest twitch, but it's never going to sound 100% right to me.