Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
how goes it

how goes it

11 8.5
To ask someone how they are when you meet them
  • idiom
  • Archaic
: ¿cómo va?
  • Mr. Sweeney, how goes it?
  • So, how goes it

But first, how goes it, my comrade Rich, I'm perplexed.

Examples

  • Hey, John, how goes it today?

  • How goes it with Earth?

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "Revere, how goes it?" he asked.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "How goes it, old chap?

    Fiction book (1998)

  • But first, how goes it, my comrade Rich, I'm perplexed.

    Rich Roll

  • How goes it with the team? Are we ready for the match?

  • When I saw her at the café, I asked, "How goes it?"

Synonyms

what's up
vshow goes it
  • Informal
∞ 7.2

A friendly question asking how someone is or what they are doing

is a casual greeting that focuses more on general well being
to how goes
vshow goes it
  • Literature
825 9.6

To ask how things are going, for example about work or a project

is informal and conversational rather than formal or literary
howdy
vshow goes it
  • Informal
141 8.1

A friendly, informal way to say hello mainly in the southern United States

is informal too but explicitly asks how someone is or how things go
how do you do
vshow goes it
  • Formal
101 6.1

A formal greeting used when meeting someone for the first time that does not need an answer

is informal and expects a real answer about how things are going
happenin'
vshow goes it
  • Slang
19 9.9

A casual greeting that asks what is going on

is equally informal but leans more toward asking about wellbeing
what's good
vshow goes it
  • Informal
17 9.1

A casual greeting asking how someone is or what's new

is broader, asking about general state rather than just positives
wassup
vshow goes it
  • Slang
16 9.9

A casual way to ask someone how they are or what they are doing

is informal too but is slightly more neutral and common
sup
vshow goes it
  • Slang
6 9.9

A short informal greeting used to ask how someone is

is similar but uses fuller, more direct informal phrasing
suh
vshow goes it
  • Slang
5 9.9

A casual way to say hello to someone

is informal as well but more focused on asking about wellbeing
how's tricks
vshow goes it
  • Archaic
3 9.9

To ask someone in a friendly, casual way how they are

is similar but slightly more general and not as playful
how goes the battle
vshow goes it
  • Archaic
1 9.4

To ask someone how their work or task is going

focuses more on general personal wellbeing rather than task progress
how-do-you-do
vshow goes it
  • Formal
1 8.2

A polite, formal greeting used when meeting someone for the first time

is conversational and informal, intended to ask about personal wellbeing
how are you diddling
vshow goes it
  • Archaic
9.9

A friendly informal greeting that asks how someone is doing

is an informal greeting that more often asks about life in general

How Informal

what's up
  • Informal
∞ 7.2
how are you diddling
  • Archaic
9.9
how goes it
  • Archaic
11 8.5
to hello
1 1.0
how do you do
  • Formal
101 6.1

Surface Forms

how goes it main

Morphology

how + go + it

The phrase is compositionally built from 'how' (asking about manner/state) + 'goes' (proceeds/is going) + 'it' (the situation/person), so the overall meaning 'how are things/you doing' is directly inferable from the parts. Although the inverted, informal word order is idiomatic, the semantic combination is transparent and mirrors common patterns in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

How goes it comes from older ways of speaking English where goes means 'moves' or 'is happening' and it stands for your life or situation. One popular image is someone asking if a small cart was rolling, and that picture turned the question into a short, friendly way to ask 'how are you' or 'how are things going'.