20 APRIL 2002, Page 31

You, not they

From Mr Nick Strange Sir: It would indeed be pretty silly if we in Germany greeted each other by saying, 'How goes it to them?', as Geoffrey Wheatcroft would have us believe (Diary, 13 April). Curiously, his German is absolutely correct, even down to the all-important capitalisation of the Ihnen', which shows that we actually say, 'How goes it to you?', which being idiomatically — as opposed to literally — translated indeed means 'How ya doin'?'

Nick Strange Cologne, Germany