How are you? In Spanish
Alicia Fernández
• Jan 29, 2025
• 9 minutes
Updated Jan 29, 2025
The greeting ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás? is one of the most common questions in any language, but in Spanish, there are many ways to ask how someone is doing, whether you're speaking to a friend or your boss. From the casual ¿Qué tal? to the more formal ¿Cómo está usted?, in this article, you will learn how to navigate any situation with confidence. And it’s not just about greeting someone—it’s about asking how they're really feeling, too! Ready to learn the ins and outs of checking in with your Spanish-speaking friends, family, or colleagues? Let’s dive into the different ways to say How are you? in Spanish!
The most common way to ask someone how they’re feeling is ¿Cómo estás? This question is understood everywhere, and there are several ways people can respond:
Here are some other ways to ask someone how they’re doing:
Fun fact! Did you know Bugs Bunny's famous catchphrase What's up, Doc? is translated in Spanish as ¿Qué hay de nuevo, viejo? It's a classic line from the animated character Bugs Bunny in the Looney Tunes cartoons.
So far, we’ve been focusing on informal greetings and conversations by using the pronoun tú (singular you) and informal questions such as ¿Qué pasa?; however, when we’re in a more formal setting or speaking to someone we don’t know well, such as your doctor, boss, or your elderly neighbor, the tone of the conversation shifts. In Spanish, we can use the pronoun usted (or ustedes for plural) to show respect or politeness. When using usted, the verb conjugation also changes. Instead of saying, ¿Cómo estás? (informal), you would say, ¿Cómo está usted? (formal), and in response, someone might say Estoy bien, gracias, ¿y usted? (I'm fine, thank you, and you?). This formality helps maintain a respectful tone, especially in professional or unfamiliar situations.
Keeping formality in mind, expressions like ¿Qué tal? (How are you doing?), ¿Cómo te va? (How’s it going?) or ¿Qué pasa? (What’s up?) are typically used in casual settings with friends or family. However, these may not be appropriate when speaking to a police officer, boss, doctor, or someone you are not close with. In those cases, it’s better to stick with more formal greetings, like ¿Cómo está usted? (How are you?), which shows respect. Similarly, phrases like ¿Qué hay? (What’s up?) or ¿Qué hay de nuevo? (What’s new?) would be too informal in these settings. Instead, a more polite greeting like ¿Cómo ha estado? (How have you been?) or simply ¿Cómo está? (How are you?) might be more fitting, depending on the context. Adjusting your greeting based on the level of formality helps keep the conversation respectful and appropriate.
¡Ojo! It's important to remember that greetings in Spanish can vary depending on the country or region. For example, ¿Qué tal? is commonly used in Spain as a casual way to ask, How's it going? or How are you?, while in Mexico, people are more likely to say ¿Qué onda? for the same idea. Although these phrases are different, Spanish speakers from various regions will generally understand what you're trying to say. The key is knowing that, while some expressions are more specific to certain areas, the overall meaning remains clear across the Spanish-speaking world. So, even if you use a greeting from a different country, don't worry, you're still likely to be understood!
Up to now, we’ve been focusing on asking just one person how they’re doing, but what if you’re talking to more than one person? In that case, you’ll need to adjust the questions to the plural form, using vosotros (informal plural, used mainly in Spain) or ustedes (formal plural, used everywhere, and informal plural in Latin America). For example, instead of ¿Cómo estás hoy? (How are you doing today?), you’d say ¿Cómo estáis hoy? (informal in Spain) or ¿Cómo están hoy? (formal in Spain, informal or formal in Latin America). Similarly, ¿Cómo te sientes? (How are you feeling?) becomes ¿Cómo os sentís? (informal in Spain) or ¿Cómo se sienten? (formal in Spain, informal or formal in Latin America). Questions like ¿Qué pasa? or ¿Qué tal? would not change as these questions are not asking the person how THEY are doing, but asking What’s going on/What’s happening (to them/around them)? These small changes in verb conjugation are important to make sure you’re addressing more than one person correctly.
When we ask someone ¿Cómo estás?, it's usually just a polite greeting, not a deep question. When the cashier at the grocery store asks how you’re doing, he’s probably just looking for a quick good, thanks, not your whole life story! Most people will answer with something like Estoy bien, gracias, ¿y tú? to be polite, as we’ve seen above. However, with close friends or family the answer can be more honest. Instead of just saying Bien, they might say: No estoy muy bien (Not very well); Estoy cansado (I’m tired); He estado muy ocupado (I’ve been busy)—giving a more real and detailed answer about how they’re feeling. This shows that they feel comfortable enough to share how they really are with people they trust.
Sometimes we want to share more about how we’re really feeling. Whether you're tired, stressed, or just not in the best mood, there are plenty of ways to be more honest when answering. Here are some alternative responses that can reflect a more genuine picture of how you're doing or feeling.
Here are alternative responses to ¿Cómo estás? that go beyond the typical Estoy bien:
Here are a few more adjectives that express emotion in Spanish for the next time you are asked how you’re feeling:
Nota: In Spain, the word enfadado is commonly used to express being angry, while in Latin America, enojado is the more common term. Both mean the same thing, but depending on where you are, you’ll hear one more than the other.
¡Ojo! Keep in mind that these adjectives are in the masculine singular form. As you already know, to make them feminine, simply change the O to A (e.g., contento becomes contenta). To make them plural, add an S (e.g., contento becomes contentos). However, there are exceptions like feliz, triste, and optimista, which remain the same for both masculine and feminine forms. Lastly, remember that the plural of feliz is felices: we add ES to make a word ending in a consonant plural, and we change the Z to C.
To wrap it up, asking and responding to ¿Cómo estás? can change depending on how formal you want to be, how many people you're talking to, and where you're from. For casual chats, you'll probably use phrases like ¿Cómo estás? or ¿Qué tal?, but if you’re being more formal, you'll switch to usted or ustedes with the right verb conjugations. And don't forget, greetings can vary by country: ¿Qué onda? is a go-to in Mexico, while in Spain, ¿Qué tal? is very common. Whether you stick with the typical Bien, gracias, or get real with answers like Estoy cansado or Estoy estresado, adjusting your response shows you’re being mindful of the situation and the person you’re talking to.
I hope you enjoyed this article, learned a few new things, and you get to try them out next time you greet someone in Spanish—whether it’s a friend, your boss, or even the cashier at the store!
Now, let’s practice what you learned!
Options:
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Answer key:
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Answer key:
1) Which of the following is the plural form of triste?
2) What would you say to a friend when asking How’s everything?
3) Which of these is an informal greeting?
4) To change the adjective cansado (tired) into its feminine form, you would say:
5) What is the formal way of asking How are you? in Spanish?
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Answer key:
Alicia Fernández is a content writer at Berges Institute.
