student asking question

What does "How come" mean? Is this a generally used expression?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

The expression "how come" has the same meaning as "why". The main difference between these two terms is the formality. "How come" is more informal than "why" and it is often used by children. Ex: How come you didn't go to the party yesterday? Ex: How come you got fired from your job? Ex: A: You can't have any more candy today. B: How come?

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