What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "it goes well." The word ça means "it" and va is the third-person singular form of the verb aller (to go).
Which one should you use?
To express the opposite of doing well, you can replace the adverb bien with mal to say ça va mal (it's going badly).
How does it change in a sentence?
You can shorten the phrase to just ça va to mean "it's going" or "I'm fine," which is a very common way to respond to "how are you?"
When do people say it?
A natural way to respond to someone asking how you are in informal settings is to say Ça va bien, et toi ? (I'm doing well and you?). While ça va bien is common, you can also use the informal phrase tout baigne to mean "everything is going well." For a more formal way to say one is doing well or is in good health, you may use bien se porter.
Did you know?
- If you want to sound very casual and colorful, you can use the phrase tout baigne, which literally means 'everything is swimming' or 'everything is bathing' to indicate that things are going great.
- While ça va bien is used for general well-being, the formal bien se porter literally means 'to carry oneself well'.
- The word ça is actually a shortened, 'clipped' version of the word cela, which is a more formal way to say 'that'.
Examples in context
- Malgré la situation difficile, j'espère que vous vous portez bien.Despite the difficult situation, I hope you are doing well.
- Je suis ravi d'entendre que tout va bien pour vous.I'm glad to hear that you are doing well.
- Salut! Comment ça roule?Hi! How's it going?
- Écoute, ne t'inquiète pas, tout baigne!Listen, don't worry, everything's going well!
- Je suis contente, ça va bien.I am happy, I am doing well.
- Depuis son voyage, ça va bien pour lui.Since his trip, he is doing well.
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel meet for coffee.
- EmmaSalut Gabriel ! Comment vas-tu ?Hi Gabriel! How are you doing?
- GabrielSalut Emma, ça va bien et toi ?Hi Emma, I'm doing well, and you?
- EmmaÇa va très bien aussi.I'm doing very well too.
- GabrielC'est super alors !That's great then!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, va, ça, ça va bien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
