Greetings
How to say “how are you” in Spanish
“¿Cómo estás?” is how you ask a friend, a classmate or someone your age how they are. With someone you should address politely, use “¿cómo está usted?”. Spanish questions have an inverted question mark at the start.
In Spanish
¿Cómo estás?
How are you?
Say it: KOH-moh ehs-TAHS
Other ways to say “how are you”
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¿Cómo está usted?
How are you? (formal)
For older people, strangers, customers, bosses.
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¿Qué tal?
How's it going?
Casual, very common in spain and latin america; also works as a hello.
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¿Cómo te va?
How's it going for you?
Friendly, common everywhere.
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¿Qué onda?
What's up?
Very informal, mainly mexico and parts of central america.
Example sentences
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Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Hi, how are you?
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¿Cómo está usted, señor García?
How are you, Mr García?
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¿Qué tal el viaje?
How was the trip?
How to reply
Bien, gracias, ¿y tú?
Fine, thanks, and you?
Good to know
- Typical answers: “bien, gracias, ¿y tú?” (fine, thanks, and you?), “muy bien”, “más o menos” (so-so), “regular”.
- The accent matters: “cómo” with an accent is the question word, “como” without one means like or as.
Questions about “how are you” in Spanish
How do you say “how are you” in Spanish?
“how are you” in Spanish is “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?). It is pronounced KOH-moh ehs-TAHS. You can also say “¿Cómo está usted?”, “¿Qué tal?”, “¿Cómo te va?”.
How do you pronounce “¿Cómo estás?”?
“¿Cómo estás?” sounds like KOH-moh ehs-TAHS. The capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Tap the speaker on this page to hear it.
What are other ways to say “how are you” in Spanish?
“¿Cómo está usted?” (How are you? (formal)): for older people, strangers, customers, bosses. “¿Qué tal?” (How's it going?): casual, very common in Spain and Latin America; also works as a hello. “¿Cómo te va?” (How's it going for you?): friendly, common everywhere. “¿Qué onda?” (What's up?): very informal, mainly Mexico and parts of Central America.
How do you reply to “¿Cómo estás?”?
A natural reply is “Bien, gracias, ¿y tú?” (Fine, thanks, and you?).
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