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\\u201cHow have you been?\\u201d is a common question from native English speakers. It\\u2019s asking what you have been up to and how life has been for you from from a certain point in time. Perhaps you\\u2019re being asked how you\\u2019ve been doing since the last time you saw each other. Or maybe since the last time you spoke on the phone. Or it could also be since the last time you sent each other private messages online.

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You can see that it\\u2019s used in a similar way as \\u201chow are you?\\u201dHowever, your answer needs to be a little bit different.

WHEN TO USE THE QUESTION \\u201cHOW HAVE YOU BEEN?\\u201d
But before we talk about how to answer this question, let\\u2019s talk about when to use or when to ask this question. To begin, there are two things to remember:

First, only ask this question if you have met someone previously.

Second, only ask them if you have not seen one another for some time (like a week or longer).

Most importantly, this is not a question to ask someone you have just met, nor is it a question to ask someone you just saw yesterday. The question is actually focusing on the chunk of time that has passed since you saw that person.