What have you been up to?
– B2-C1 (intermediate to advanced) –
Practice Your Listening Comprehension
Practice Your Reading Comprehension
In Canadian English, this common question typically means:
What have you done since the last time we talked?
NOTE
You may hear this informal question after not seeing someone for a few days, a week, a month, or even years. This question is commonly asked at the beginning of a conversation after saying hello and asking how each other is. This question is typical among friends, family members, coworkers, or anyone whom you know. In Canada, it is a question that shows genuine curiosity for another person’s life. Answers do not have to be special, or extraordinary–the ordinary is just fine, and is, honestly, expected. So, talking about work, your personal life, daily activities like chores, etc. is polite and normal in Canada.
EXAMPLES
“Hey! Long time, no see! How long has it been? A couple months?”
“Yeah, life has been busy. Time has just flown by, hey?”
“That’s for sure. How are you?”
“I’m doing well, thanks. What about yourself?”
“Me, too, actually. Things have been good.”
“What have you been up to?”
“Oh, you know, just keeping up with work and laundry, taking care of the kids… Driving them to hockey practice and dance takes up so much time, you know…”
“Tell me about it. I’ve been doing the same….”
“Hey! What have you been up to this past week?”
“What have I been up to? Let’s see… I started watching Superstore on Netflix this past weekend. It is hilarious! Apart from that, I have just been doing some reading, cleaning up the house, work….”
“I love that show! What did you start reading?”
“Well, I finished two books since the last time we talked. One is a literary fiction called, The Correspondent, which was a quick read and pretty good. The other one was a dark academia/fantasy novel about languages called, A Language of Dragons; it was surprisingly addictive–I couldn’t put it down. What about you? What have you been up to?”
So, let’s practice answering this question. Even if we have never spoken before, tell me in the comments below: what have you been up to these days?
