How Are You in Spanish
How are you in Spanish is ¿cómo estás? (KOH-moh ehs-TAHS).
¿Cómo estás? KOH-moh ehs-TAHS That is for someone you call tú. To be polite, ask ¿cómo está usted? Both use the verb estar, never ser.
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Scan with your phone camera All the ways to ask how are you in Spanish
Course phrases have a picture. Tap the speaker to hear each one.
| Phrase | Listen | Meaning | When to use it | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? KOH-moh ehs-TAHS | How are you? | Friends, family, people your age: anyone you call tú | Informal | |
| ¿Cómo está usted? KOH-moh ehs-TAH oos-TEHD | How are you? | Polite: older people, customers, someone you have just met | Formal | |
| ¿Cómo están? KOH-moh ehs-TAHN | How are you all? | To two or more people. In most of Spain, friends say ¿cómo estáis? instead | Neutral | |
 ¿Qué tal? keh TAHL | How's it going? | Short and friendly; fine with almost anyone | Neutral | |
| ¿Cómo te va? KOH-moh teh BAH | How's it going? | Casual, to someone you call tú (polite: ¿cómo le va?). Spanish v sounds like b | Informal | |
 ¿Qué tal tu día? keh TAHL too DEE-ah | How's your day going? | Catching up later in the day | Informal | |
| ¿Qué onda? keh OHN-dah | What's up? | Very casual, among friends in Mexico, Central America and Bolivia, among other places | Informal |
Tú, usted or ustedes?
Spanish has more than one "you", and the question changes with it:
- ¿Cómo estás? for tú: friends, family, children, people your age.
- ¿Cómo está usted? for usted: older people, customers, officials, anyone you want to be polite to. You can drop usted: ¿cómo está?
- ¿Cómo están? for ustedes, two or more people. In most of Spain, friends use vosotros (the informal "you all") instead: ¿cómo estáis?
¿Qué tal? has no "you" in it, so it fits both: that is why it is so handy.
Answering and asking back
Answer, say thanks and ask back: that is the polite pattern. Use ¿y tú? with tú and ¿y usted? with usted.
| Phrase | Listen | Meaning | When to use it | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? byehn GRAH-syahs ee TOO | Fine, thanks, and you? | The standard answer, to someone you call tú | Informal | |
| ¿Y usted? ee oos-TEHD | And you? (polite) | Asking back politely, after your answer | Formal | |
| Muy bien mwee BYEHN | Very well | When things really are good | Neutral | |
 Bien byehn | Fine | The short, everyday answer | Neutral | |
| Más o menos mahs oh MEH-nohs | So-so | An honest "not great"; people may ask what's wrong | Neutral |
Estar, not ser
Spanish has two verbs for "to be". "How are you?" asks how someone is right now, so it always uses estar: ¿cómo estás?
With ser, ¿cómo eres? means "what are you like?", a question about someone's personality or looks. Mixing the two is one of the most common learner mistakes.
Example sentences with audio
Course sentences come first, then a few more for real life.
- Hola, ¿cómo estás? Hello, how are you?
- ¿Cómo estás hoy? How are you today?
- Hoy me siento bien. I feel good today.
- ¿Qué tal tu fin de semana? How was your weekend?
- Buenos días, señora López. ¿Cómo está usted? Good morning, Mrs. López. How are you?
- Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? Very well, thank you. And you?
- Más o menos. Estoy un poco cansado. So-so. I'm a bit tired. (A woman says cansada.)
- ¿Qué tal? ¿Todo bien? How's it going? All good?
- ¿Cómo están todos en casa? How is everyone at home?
Quick quiz
Five questions from the words on this page.
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Questions people ask
What is the difference between ¿cómo estás? and ¿cómo está?
¿Cómo estás? is informal (tú); ¿cómo está? is polite (usted). Use the polite one with older people and people you don't know.
Is ¿qué tal? formal or informal?
It is neutral: friendly, but fine with almost anyone, from a colleague to a shop assistant.
How do you answer ¿cómo estás?
Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? ("fine, thanks, and you?") is the standard answer. Muy bien means very well and más o menos means so-so.
Why is it estar and not ser?
Because you are asking how someone is right now, and estar is the verb for states and moods. ¿Cómo eres? asks what someone is like.
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