"I am good"

[GoodTaste]

Does "I'm good" sound naturally when replying to the greeting of "How are you?"

Should we reply with "I'm fine" or simply "fine" (or "great")? "I'm good" seems to mean differently from "I'm fine" to me. "I'm good" sounds self-praising and inappropriate. I am not sure

 

[GoodTaste]

Is replying with "Just so-so" natural?

 

[Rover_KE]

It's one of very many natural responses, but your thread title is not one of them.

 

[GoodTaste]

It's one of very many natural responses, but your thread title is not one of them.

The "English teacher" on Chinese version of TikTok gives 5 examples of how to repond to "How are you?" in different scenarios. The first example is "I'm good" and the third "I'm great."

"I'm great" sounds odder than "I'm good" to me. Is "I'm great" natural in English in responding to "How are you?"

 

[tzfujimino]

I've just remembered this thread:
https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...ain-in-American-English?p=1630530#post1630530

 

[GoesStation]

[STRIKE]The[/STRIKE] An "English teacher" on the Chinese version of TikTok gives [STRIKE]5[/STRIKE] five examples of how to respond to "How are you?" in different scenarios. The first example is "I'm good" and the third is "I'm great."

"I'm great" sounds odder than "I'm good" to me. Is "I'm great" natural in English in responding to "How are you?"

It's fine in the right context.

 

[emsr2d2]

You'll hear any one of those from native BrE speakers. "I'm good" has crept in over the last decade or so - I still view it as more of an AmE import but I find myself saying it too.

When you say you think it sounds "self-praising", I think you're misunderstanding what "I'm good" represents. It's not like saying "I'm a good person". It's a way of saying "I'm in good health/I'm in a good mood".

I'm sure at one point or another, I've used all the following in response to "How are you?", sometimes with the opening "I'm" and sometimes with "thanks".

Fine, ta.
Fine, thanks.
I'm good.
I'm well.
I'm very well.
I'm great!*
Fantastic!*
Marvellous!*
So-so.
Not great.
Not good, unfortunately.

The ones marked with an asterisk would only be used if there's a particular reason for you feeling better than just "good" or "well". They would probably result in the other person asking a follow-up question, like "Oh, really? Why?"

 

[Tarheel]

I might say:

I'm OK.