Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[nawee]

Hello,

In greeting, do we say "What have you been up to?" or "What are you up to?" or they both mean the same thing?

Thanks,

Nawee

[LucentShade]

"What have you been up to?" is more likely, since it asks about the past -- the person asking the question should be able to see what the listener is "up to" at the present moment. Still, you might hear "What are you up to these days?" when the asker hasn't seen the listener in a long time.

[Nef]

In addition to what has been said:

This is an informal way of asking how someone has been.