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Here in my country, we usually use the expression "where are you coming from?" as a greeting. (It literally means where you were before you got here).

This is good manners to ask like this in our country, but I heard this is a really inappropriate expression as a greeting.

When we meet each other, and we are a little bit curious about where someone is coming from, what is better to use in the elevator or in the street?

How about the expression "Are you coming from work?"

Ste
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Coby Park
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  • "How are you doing?" is (the?) a common simple greeting when meeting in the context you describe – Allan S. Hansen Jun 01 '16 at 10:15
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    "How are you?" is the standard polite greeting. It's semi-rhetorical. – Max Williams Jun 01 '16 at 10:17
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    BTW, "Where are you coming from?" is too close to "Where do you live?", which would be seen as an absolutely unacceptable invasion of privacy. – Max Williams Jun 01 '16 at 10:34
  • This question is primarily a cultural issue, rather than a language issue. From OP's use of the word 'elevator', I assume that he is referring to the USA (or certainly not the UK - where we call it a lift). The type of greeting used in one country may well not be considered so appropriate in another country. I'm therefore voting to close this Q.. – TrevorD Jun 01 '16 at 11:23
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    In general, in the US, you should avoid querying someone who is not a familiar about their comings and goings. More appropriate would be something like "Did you have a good weekend?" You want a query which allows the respondent to say as little or as much as they feel comfortable saying, vs "demanding" specific information. – Hot Licks Jun 01 '16 at 12:24
  • I've quite-heavily edited your question to improve its readability. If you feel that I have altered the context or intent of your question, please feel free to rollback or change my edits. – Ste Jun 01 '16 at 15:21
  • If you want a greeting, slightly familiar, that put the emphasis more on what the person is doing than his state of mind/health ("how are you?") you could use "what's up?" its' way of saying "what's happening?". That leave the person the choice of answering something along "just coming back from work, just going to the gym" etc. – P. O. Jun 01 '16 at 15:33
  • Just curious, in your country is it appropriate to respond to this greeting with a lie if you are uncomfortable giving your actual last location? For example, in the US it is not considered rude to respond "I'm fine." to the greeting "How are you?" even if you are terminally ill. – James Jun 01 '16 at 18:41
  • @James - If a person is terminally ill they have a right to be rude. (And it is not at all unusual to respond "I'm fine, thank you" even when you are suffering from an illness, injury, or some sort of personal difficulty. You have a right to reveal as little about your private life as you wish.) – Hot Licks Jun 01 '16 at 18:44
  • @HotLicks - I agree that you aren't expected to reveal your private life in US culture. I'm wondering if that is also true of the OP's culture. – James Jun 01 '16 at 19:02
  • @P.Obertelli I think you understand what I am trying to ask. Thanks. – Coby Park Jun 08 '16 at 09:36
  • Thanks, everybody. Your answers are really helpful! . thanks again~ – Coby Park Jun 08 '16 at 09:37
  • 'Where are you coming from'does have an idiomatic metaphorical usage, as explained in this article from Celebration Publications.org. In fact, this usage is probably much more common than the literal one. But it would not be used without prior context. – Edwin Ashworth Jul 15 '16 at 11:03
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    There are unwritten conventions applying to the occupants of lifts. Basically, stand straight, don't look at the other occupants unless you know them and try not to touch them inadvertently. Avoid eye contact after the initial glance. The occupants stand so as to distribute the personal space as evenly as possible, except in the case of sub-groupings (like pairs). If you ask personal questions of strangers in the lift (and you do not work for building Security) you will be seen as very creepy. You can say "excuse me" to get past someone to the exit, but not much else is expected. – DrSpleen Aug 05 '16 at 18:37

1 Answers1

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If all you need is something to say to someone who just entered the elevator after you or was already there when you entered,

"How was your day"

or

"Tough Day, huh?"

might be your best options if you are engaging someone you know from around the building but not personally.

"Are you coming from work"

might be okay to ask, but i would generally avoid its use as the answer to that will mostly be in the negative as people do a lot more things than just work.

Arrem
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