Casual or formal: ¿cómo estás? or ¿cómo está?
Spanish has two words for "you": tú for friends, family, children, and people your age in casual settings, and usted for strangers, older people, bosses, and anyone you want to show respect to. The verb changes with them.
| Spanish | Who you ask | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | One person you call tú | A friend, a classmate, a sibling |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | One person you call usted | A doctor, a client, your partner’s grandparents |
| ¿Cómo está? | The same, without usted | Usted is often dropped in speech |
| ¿Cómo están? | A group | Friends or strangers: Latin America uses it for both |
| ¿Cómo estáis? | A group of friends | Spain only (vosotros) |
If you are unsure, start with usted. People will tell you if they want tú: puedes tutearme means "you can call me tú".
In Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America, friends use vos instead of tú. The question stays ¿cómo estás?, but you will hear vos forms elsewhere, such as ¿qué hacés? for "what’s up?"
Everyday alternatives
Most of the time people use a shorter, lighter question that is really part of the greeting, like "how’s it going?" in English.
| Spanish | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué tal? | How’s it going? | Works with almost anyone; very common in Spain |
| ¿Cómo te va? | How’s it going for you? | Friendly, a little warmer; formal: ¿cómo le va? |
| ¿Cómo andas? | How are you doing? | Casual; ¿cómo andás? in Argentina |
| ¿Cómo vas? | How are you getting on? | Casual; common in Colombia and Spain |
| ¿Todo bien? | All good? | Casual, everywhere |
| ¿Qué hay de nuevo? | What’s new? | Friends you have not seen in a while |
| ¿Cómo has estado? | How have you been? | Someone you have not seen in a while |
| ¿Cómo te encuentras? | How are you feeling? | When someone has been ill or through a hard time |
Regional slang
With friends in these places, you will hear:
| Country | Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Mexico | ¿Qué onda? | What’s up? |
| Mexico | ¿Qué pasó? | What’s up? (not "what happened?" here) |
| Spain | ¿Qué pasa? | What’s up? |
| Argentina, Uruguay | ¿Qué hacés? | What’s up? (literally "what are you doing?") |
| Colombia | ¿Qué más? | What’s up? How are things? |
| Colombia | ¿Quiubo? | What’s up? (from ¿qué hubo?) |
| Chile | ¿Cómo estái? | How are you? (Chilean casual form) |
These are for friends. With strangers, stay with ¿cómo está? or ¿qué tal?. For more greetings, see hello in Spanish.
How to answer
The polite answer is short, with a thank-you and the question back. "Bien, gracias, ¿y tú?" covers most situations.
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? | Very well, thanks. And you? |
| Bien, gracias. ¿Y usted? | Fine, thanks. And you? (formal) |
| Todo bien. | All good. |
| Más o menos. | So-so. |
| Aquí, tranquilo / tranquila. | Just taking it easy (said by a man / a woman). |
| Bien, bien. | Good, good. |
| No me quejo. | Can’t complain. |
| Cansado / cansada. | Tired (said by a man / a woman). |
| Regular. | Not great. |
| Fatal. | Terrible (common in Spain). |
- ¿Qué tal? is often answered with just bien or even another ¿qué tal?.
- ¿Qué onda? gets a casual answer like nada, aquí (nothing much) or todo bien.
- ¿Qué haces? gets nada or what you are actually doing.
Don’t forget the thanks: see thank you in Spanish.
Example sentences
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hola, Laura, ¿cómo estás? | Hi, Laura, how are you? |
| Buenos días, señor García, ¿cómo está usted? | Good morning, Mr. García, how are you? |
| ¿Qué tal el fin de semana? | How was the weekend? |
| ¿Cómo te va en el trabajo nuevo? | How’s the new job going? |
| ¡Cuánto tiempo! ¿Cómo has estado? | Long time no see! How have you been? |
| ¿Cómo están todos en casa? | How is everyone at home? |
| Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? | I’m fine, thanks. And you? |
Common mistakes
- ¿Cómo eres? Ser and estar both mean "to be", but ¿cómo eres? asks what you are like as a person. For how someone is feeling, use estar: ¿cómo estás?
- Estoy bueno / buena. Bien is the adverb you want: estoy bien. Estoy bueno means "I’m hot" (attractive) in much of the Spanish-speaking world.
- Using tú with everyone. Calling an older stranger tú can come across as overly familiar, especially in Colombia, Mexico, and Central America.
- Forgetting the opening ¿. Written questions start with ¿ and end with ?: ¿Cómo estás?
- Dropping the accent marks. Cómo and está / estás need them. Without the accent, esta means "this".
- Not asking back. Answering without "¿y tú?" or "¿y usted?" can sound abrupt.