¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás hoy?
The English phrase "hey, how are you today?" is translated into Spanish as ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás hoy?
This phrase is a friendly greeting used to ask someone about their current well-being.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, it is common to use ¿Qué onda? ¿Cómo estás? to mean "What's up? How are you?" In Colombia, you might hear ¿Cómo va la vaina? ¿Todo bien? to mean "How's life going? Everything okay?" In Chile, a familiar way to greet someone is ¿Cómo estai'? ¿Todo bien?
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás hoy?, the word estás is the second-person singular informal form of the verb estar (to be), which is used when addressing friends and peers.
When do people say it?
A common and natural response to this greeting is Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú? (Fine, thanks. And you?).
Did you know?
- The word hola may have its roots in an old command used to hail ferrymen, similar to the Old High German way of calling out to someone to fetch something.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, it is culturally polite to ask ¿Cómo estás? not just to the person you are meeting, but also to their family members through them.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿Cómo estás? is often just a social ritual and does not always require a literal or deep description of your health or feelings.
Examples in context
- ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás hoy?Hey, how are you today?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, hola, hoy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
