If you are wondering how to say "How are you?" in Spanish, the standard, casual way of doing so is: ¿Cómo estás? However, there are many more ways to say "How are you?" in Spanish, and this lesson will cover many of the most common.
As we just mentioned, ¿Cómo estás? is the best-known, informal way of saying "How are you?" in Spanish. But, how do you say "How are you?" in formal Spanish? In that case, you will need to address the other person using the formal form of "you," usted:
¿Cómo está usted?
How are you?
Caption 25, Cleer y Lida Saludar en español
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That said, as there are many ways to say "you" in Spanish, let's take a look at how to say "How are you?" in Spanish with the forms of estar (to be) that correspond to each of the additional subject pronouns that mean "you": vos (singular, informal "you" in certain regions), vosotros/as (informal plural "you" in Spain), and ustedes (the prevalent plural "you" in most countries).
Bien. ¿Cómo estás vos?
Fine. How are you?
Caption 30, Muñeca Brava 18 - La Apuesta - Part 6
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Note that while the verb conjugations for vos and tú typically differ, in the case of estar, they are exactly the same.
¿Cómo estáis?
How are you?
Caption 3, Isabel Lavesa Dibujo en acuarela
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Hola, amigos de Yabla. ¿Cómo están?
Hello, friends of Yabla. How are you?
Captions 1-2, María Fernanda Mascarilla de aguacate
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You may have noticed that the subject pronoun (vos) is only explicitly stated in the first of the three examples since doing so is optional in Spanish, where specific verb conjugations usually let us know who is being addressed or spoken about.
Just like in English you can use alternatives such as "How's it going?" "What's up?" "What's going on?" etc., there are a plethora of more slangy ways to say "How are you?" in Spanish. Let's look at several.
The English translations for ¿Qué tal? range from "How are you?" to "How's it going?" and "What's up?" Let's hear it in action:
Por ejemplo, si yo digo: ¿Qué tal?
For example, if I say: How's it going?
Caption 2, Curso de español ¿Qué tal? Ni bien ni mal...
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As a side note, although bien (well) and mal (poorly) are typical answers to this question, the video ¿Qué tal? Ni bien ni mal will give you several ways to say you're somewhere in between.
While ¿Qué hay? could be used to literally ask "What is there?" or "What's available?" it can also be used to ask someone "What's up?" or "What's going on?"
¿Qué hay, amigo?
What's up, friend
You might also hear the following variation:
¿Qué hay de nuevo, compadre?
What's new, buddy?
And, if you want to sound like a true Colombian, you can try this alternative version of ¿Qué hay? with the verb haber in the preterite tense instead of the present tense (literally meaning "What was there?"). Notice the slangy spelling/pronunciation variation in the second example.
"Ey, ¿qué hubo pues, paisa? ¿Todo bien o qué, hombre?"
"Hey, what's up, buddy? [Is] everything good or what, man?"
Caption 16, Español en las calles Varias expresiones
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¿Quiubo, quiubo, linda? ¿Cómo vas?
What's up, what's up, beautiful? How are you?
Caption 3, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 8
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As you might have noticed, the last example above contained yet another way to say "How are you?" in Spanish: ¿Cómo vas?
Another option for saying "How are you?" in Spanish, "¿Cómo te va?" might also be translated as "How's it going for you?" Of course, you should use the appropriate indirect object pronoun (te, le, les, or os) to correspond to the form of "you" you're intending, or just omit it entirely and just say ¿Cómo va? (How's it going?). Let's hear a couple of examples:
¿Y cómo te va?
And how are you?
Caption 38, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 8 - Part 1
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¿Cómo les va?
How is it going for you?
Caption 4, Misión Chef 1 La selección - Part 3
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Now, let's hear a straightforward Spanish translation of the English phrase "How's everything going?"
¿Cómo va todo?
How's everything going?
Caption 18, Festivaliando Mono Núñez - Part 13
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"¿Cómo van las cosas?" is a similar expression that literally means "How are things going?"
The verb andar, which literally means "to walk," appears in the common expression "¿Cómo andas?" which can be heard in many countries but is particularly common in Argentina (with vos, of course!).
En Argentina, saludamos así: "Hola, che. ¿Cómo andás? ¿Todo bien?"
In Argentina, we greet [people] like this: "Hello, hey. How's it going? [Is] everything good?"
Caption 10, Español en las calles Varias expresiones
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As you can see in the last example, "todo bien?" is an additional manner of asking someone how they are and is the equivalent of such English expressions as "All good?" "Is everything OK?" or even "How's it going?"
One of the best-known ways to say "What's going on?" in Spanish is, of course, "¿Qué pasa?" This phrase can be employed to ask "what's going on" with someone in a general sense, or to inquire about a particular situation.
¿Qué pasa?
What's going on?
Caption 1, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 3 - Sam aprende a ligar - Part 2
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Our final "How are you?" in Spanish equivalent for today is "¿Qué (me) cuentas?" which literally means, "What do you tell (me)?" but serves as another manner of asking someone "What's new?" You may hear it either with or without the me.
And these are just a handful of the many, less formal ways to say "How are you?" in Spanish, which vary widely between regions and individuals. Are you familiar with any others? How do you say "How are you?" in Spanish? Let us know with your suggestions and comments!
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