How do you say "how are you?" in Spanish?

Say ¿Cómo estás? to a friend, ¿Cómo está usted? (or just ¿Cómo está?) to a stranger, and ¿Cómo están? to a group.

  • ¿Cómo estás?Unit 2

    How are you? (to a friend)

  • ¿Cómo está usted?Unit 2

    How are you? (polite)

  • Hola, ¿qué tal?Unit 2

    Hi, how's it going? (casual)

  • ¿Cómo están?Unit 2

    How are you? (to two or more people)

How do you answer ¿cómo estás??

Answer Bien, gracias ("Fine, thanks") and ask back: ¿Y tú? to a friend, ¿Y usted? to someone you call usted. Muy bien is "very well"; más o menos is "so-so".

  • Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?Unit 2

    Fine, thanks. And you?

  • Muy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?Unit 2

    Very well, thanks. And you? (polite)

  • Estamos bien, gracias.Unit 2

    We're fine, thanks.

  • Más o menos.

    So-so.

Should you say ¿cómo estás? or ¿cómo está??

Use ¿cómo estás? (tú) with friends, family and people your age, and ¿cómo está? (usted) with anyone serving you, anyone older, and people you've just met. In CiaoSpeak's Speak tab you hear both: Ana, your friend, uses tú; Sofía the barista uses usted.

  • Ana: "How are you?"

    Language exchange · Ana

    Q¿Cómo estás?

    How are you? (to a friend)

    Or they might say:
    Hi, how are you?

    You can answer

    ABien, gracias.

    Fine, thanks.

    Spanish uses estar for how you feel right now: Estoy bien, Estoy cansado (a man), Estoy cansada (a woman). Add ¿Y tú? to ask back, like "And you?".

  • The barista asks how you are

    Coffee shop · Sofia, the barista

    Q¿Cómo está?

    How are you?

    Or they might say:
    How are you? (polite)

    You can answer

    AMuy bien, gracias.

    Very well, thanks.

    With service staff, use usted: ¿Y usted? instead of ¿Y tú?. They use usted with you too, as in ¿Cómo está?.

What mistakes do English speakers make with how are you??

The biggest mistake is asking ¿Cómo eres?, which means "what are you like?", not "how are you?". The others are small but common:

  • ¿Cómo eres? asks what someone is like as a person. "How are you?" uses estar: ¿Cómo estás?
  • Soy bien. It's Estoy bien, or just Bien.
  • Forgetting to ask back. ¿Y tú? or ¿Y usted? is part of the answer.
  • Answering ¿Qué tal? with a long story. It's a greeting: Bien, ¿y tú? is enough.

How can you practice saying it out loud?

Say it to someone who answers. In CiaoSpeak's Spanish course, set in Mexico City, the lessons teach these questions and answers with a recording and a note on when to use it, and in the Speak tab a character in a real scene (a barista, a taxi driver, your language-exchange partner Ana) talks to you and you answer out loud. The app tells you whether a person would understand you, with one gentle fix if not. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like. More phrases: how to say everyday things in Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between cómo estás and cómo está?

¿Cómo estás? uses tú, for friends, family and people your age. ¿Cómo está? uses usted, for strangers, older people and anyone serving you. Both mean "how are you?".

How do you say I'm fine in Spanish?

Say Estoy bien, or simply Bien, gracias. Add ¿Y tú? or ¿Y usted? to ask back. Never Soy bien.

How do you answer qué tal?

Answer ¿Qué tal? like "how's it going?": Bien, ¿y tú?, Todo bien or Muy bien, gracias. Nobody expects details.