ASK R U OK? Be relaxed, friendly and concerned in your approach. Help them open up by asking questions like "How are you going?" or "What's been happening?" Mention specific things that have made you concerned for them, like "You seem less chatty than usual.
The question 'How are you? ' is made with the verb 'to be' (am/is/are). Since 'you' is the most common object of the sentence, that's the most common question we use to ask somebody how they are feeling.
Not many people want to actually know how you are, the question is a polite formality. It's not necessarily rude not to ask, but it is polite to ask. Also, as a side note, its polite to respond that you're well, fine, not bad, or any variation of this, but better to steer clear of offloading if you are not so well.
I think that there are two kinds of “How are you?” questions: the “How are you?” that is merely a form of the social platitude “Hi, how are things?” and the more probing, “How are you?” which signifies a desire to ask the question because you truly want to know how the other person is doing.
Tell me three good things that happened to you today. What did you have for lunch today? What inspired you the most today? What is something you did today that you'd love to do every day?
"Are you ok?" or "Are you alright?" Both are absolutely fine. I would use both to question someone's health (Maybe after they have slipped or fallen for example) Quite a lot of people in England use "Alright?" as a greeting. The both are correct.
A good way to start a conversation is to ask for information from the person you want to talk to. This is an effective and natural way to build rapport with someone quickly. Even if you already know the answer, it's still a good way to approach someone if you can't think of another topic.
