me va bien
/me ba bjen/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "doing well" is me va bien.
me va bien is used to describe the general state of one's life, luck or circumstances rather than a specific physical action. It indicates that one's current situation or life is successful or satisfactory.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally translated as "it goes well to me", where va is the third-person singular form of the verb ir (to go).
Is it said differently in some regions?
Several regional variations exist: in Spain, Estoy de lujo is a common way to say "I'm doing great" or "I'm splendid". In Argentina, you can use the colloquial Estoy bárbaro to mean "I'm great" or "I'm fantastic" and the informal Todo piola to mean "everything's cool". Additionally, the informal phrase Voy tirando, meaning "I'm getting by" or "I'm managing", is used primarily in Spain and certain Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say that someone else is doing well, change the indirect object pronoun me to le (for him, her or you formal) or nos (for us).
Did you know?
- The Argentine phrase Estoy bárbaro uses a word that normally means 'barbaric' or 'cruel'. In this context, it describes a state of being fantastic.
- The word bien is a distant relative of the English word 'bonus'. Both evolved from the Proto-Italic word *dwenos meaning 'good'.
- While English speakers say 'I am doing well', the Spanish phrase me va bien treats your life as an external force that 'goes' to you. You are not the actor performing the action, but the recipient of the luck.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, ¿cómo se encuentra? / Me encuentro bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?Good morning, how are you? / I'm doing well, thank you. And you?
- Hola, ¿cómo estás? / Estoy bien, ¿y tú?Hi, how are you? / I'm good, and you?
- Che, ¿cómo andás? / Todo piola, ¿y vos?Hey, how are you? / Everything's cool, and you?
- En mi nuevo trabajo me va bien.I am doing well in my new job.
- Me va bien en la vida ahora.I am doing well in life now.
- Por suerte, me va bien con los estudios.Fortunately, I am doing well with my studies.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo meet for coffee after a long time.
- ElenaHola Mateo, ¿cómo ha estado todo?Hi Mateo, how has everything been?
- MateoHola Elena, la verdad es que me va bien.Hi Elena, the truth is that I'm doing well.
- ElenaMe alegro mucho por ti.I am very happy for you.
- MateoGracias, ¿y a ti?Thanks, and you?
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, me, va, CC BY-SA 4.0.
