What's up? means “how are things?”, “what's new?” or “what's wrong?”. As a greeting, especially in American English, people say it to friends and people they know well. The phrase is informal: with a teacher, a manager or in a business email, How are you? is the neutral choice.
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What's up? → Not much. / Nothing much; What's up with + person/thing?
- 'Hey, Jake, what's up?' 'Not much, just waiting for the bus.'
- You look upset. What's up? Did something happen at work?
- What's up with the printer? It keeps making a strange noise.
What changed
First versionHello Professor Lee, what's up? I have a question about my essay.
RevisionHello Professor Lee, how are you? I have a question about my essay.
What's up is fine with friends, but in a message to a teacher it sounds too familiar. The neutral alternative is How are you? In an email you can be even more polite: I hope you are well.
How are you? asks how someone feels, and the reply is Fine, thanks. What's up? literally means “what is happening?”, so the usual reply is Not much or Nothing much, just studying.
Your turn
Maria looks worried, so I ask her, '___? Did something happen?'
Show the answer
What's up — Maria looks worried and you want to know what has happened, so What's up fits. How do you do is a phrase for being introduced; you don't say it to someone you already know.
Write a short exchange with a friend: they ask What's up, and you say what you are doing right now and suggest meeting up.
'What's up?' 'Not much, just cooking dinner. Want to grab a coffee tomorrow?'
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