todo está bien
/todo esta bjen/from spelling rules
To say "everything is okay" in Spanish, use todo está bien.
This phrase is used to express that a situation is satisfactory or that there are no problems.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of todo (everything), está (is – state) and bien (well).
Which one should you use?
While todo está bien means everything is okay or well, do not use todo es bueno. That phrase means "everything is good" in a moral or qualitative sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb está is used instead of es because the phrase describes a state or condition rather than an inherent characteristic.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying todo bien is used as a shorthand greeting and response. Someone may ask ¿Todo bien? and you can simply answer Todo bien to mean both 'I am fine' and 'everything is okay'.
- The word bien is a distant relative of the English word 'bonus'. Both evolved from the Proto-Italic root *dwenos, which originally described something that was good.
- In some regions, a person might say todo bien while gesturing with a thumbs-up or a nod, but using the phrase with a sarcastic tone can imply the exact opposite: that things are actually going quite poorly.
Examples in context
- ¿Estás en problemas? No, todo está bien.Are you in trouble? No, everything is okay.
- No te preocupes, todo está bien.Don't worry, everything is okay.
- Me alegra saber que todo está bien.I am glad to know that everything is okay.
- ¿Estás segura de que todo está bien?Are you sure that everything is okay?
Example conversation
Daniel asks María about her new job.
- Daniel¿Cómo va tu nuevo trabajo, María?How is your new job going, María?
- MaríaMuy bien, todo está bien en la oficina.Very well, everything is okay at the office.
- DanielQué bueno, me alegro por ti.That's good, I am happy for you.
- MaríaGracias, Daniel.Thanks, Daniel.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, todo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
