bien, ¿y tú?
/ˈbjen i ˈtu/word by word
In Spanish, "good, how about you?" is expressed as bien, ¿y tú?
A response to a greeting that says the speaker is doing well and asks the other person the same question.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bien (well) and ¿y tú? (and you?).
Which one should you use?
Use bien, ¿y usted? instead of bien, ¿y tú? when speaking to someone in a formal setting or to someone older than you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The component ¿y tú? is a shortened way of asking "and how are you?" in response to a greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbjen i ˈtu/
Did you know?
- The word tú is a linguistic cousin of the archaic English word 'thou'. Both descend from the same Proto-Indo-European root for the second person singular.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, replying bien is often a social lubricant used to avoid burdening the listener, even if the speaker is having a terrible day.
- While bien, ¿y tú? is standard, some speakers use todo bien to signal that every aspect of their life is going smoothly rather than just their mood.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo estás? Bien, ¿y tú?Hello, how are you? Good, how about you?
- Todo bien, ¿y tú?Everything is good, how about you?
- Muy bien, ¿y tú?Very well, how about you?
Example conversation
Two friends meet at a cafe.
- MateoHola, Lucía. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, Lucia. How are you?
- LucíaBien, ¿y tú?Good, how about you?
- MateoYo también estoy bien, gracias.I am also good, thanks.
- Lucía¡Qué bueno, Mateo!That's great, Mateo!
