In Finland, if you ask “miten menee” (how is it going) you’ll either get to hear someone’s life story, or a single word reply “menee” (it’s going) which amounts to “I don’t want to talk about it”. But the assumption is that the person asking is up to exchange a few genuine sentences.
Or, if someone is having a genuinely good day, you might get a few sentences explaining why things are looking up.
Hence, most people will go with literally neutral statements. An example, my go-to farewell is “päivänjatkoa” which is literally just “may the day continue”.
In Finland, if you ask “miten menee” (how is it going) you’ll either get to hear someone’s life story, or a single word reply “menee” (it’s going) which amounts to “I don’t want to talk about it”. But the assumption is that the person asking is up to exchange a few genuine sentences.
Or, if someone is having a genuinely good day, you might get a few sentences explaining why things are looking up.
Hence, most people will go with literally neutral statements. An example, my go-to farewell is “päivänjatkoa” which is literally just “may the day continue”.
I’ve heard a lot of “it is what it is” in my time in Finland. I am probably returning soon for wappu/vappu.