Learn English – ‘How delayed is the flight?’ – Is it the right expression

word-usage

The word delay simply means that the thing is not on time but pushed further in time. However, it does not show any amount (of hours?). In this…

How delayed is the flight? [From 250 Ways to Say it in Business English by Andrew D. Miles]

…rightly expressed? Frankly, I'm not fully convinced. Or it should be…

How many hours the flight is delayed by? That's because when we ask someone about the flight delay at the airport, we certainly require the 'number of hours' not how it got delayed.

If I ask how delayed is the flight, does it mean How the flight is delayed? and I am likely to get an answer – "The pilot did not report on time and this is how the flight is delayed."

I agree that Why is the flight delayed? should be the question but the way I put my answer, how also works, doesn't it?

Best Answer

Yes.

(At least for what you intend to ask)

Here's why:

  • "how" can refer to degree

    From Wiktionary

    1. To what degree

  • "How old are you?"

    I'm sure you won't answer: I am old because time works that way.

    The answer "I am very old." is perfectly fine, albeit very literal. In the same way, "How delayed is the flight?" begs for a very literal answer: "I am very delayed." It's just that specifying how many hours the flight is delayed or saying your age expounds on "how" better than just saying "very".

    However, if you ask questions like "How good are you?" it is hard to quantify the degree unlike time or age.

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