Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| comment ça va | /kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/ | informal |
| ça va | /sa va/ | informal |
| comment allez-vous | /kɔ.mɑ̃.t‿a.le.vu/ | formal, plural |
| comment vas-tu | /kɔ.mɑ̃ va.ty/ /kɔ.mɑ̃ vɑ.ty/ |
informal, singular |
These phrases are used as greetings to ask about a person's well-being. While comment ça va is a common and widely used way to ask the question casually, comment allez-vous serves as the standard formal way to ask how someone is doing.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ça va literally means "it goes".
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on who you are addressing and the level of casualness. comment allez-vous is used for a group of people or when speaking to a stranger or a superior. comment vas-tu is used when speaking to one person you know well, such as a friend or family member. ça va is the most casual form and can be used both as a question meaning "How's it going?" and as an answer meaning "It's going fine".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
comment allez-vous is the formal option. comment vas-tu, ça va and comment ça va are all informal.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the informal phrase comment tu vas ? is widely used. In France and Belgium, the expression Ça roule ? is used to mean "Is it rolling?" in a casual context.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the formal form comment allez-vous, the verb aller (to go) is conjugated for the second person plural or formal vous. In the informal form comment vas-tu, the verb aller is conjugated for the second person singular tu.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/
When do people say it?
When someone asks you comment ça va, a common and natural response is Ça va bien, merci (It's going well, thanks).
Did you know?
- Depending on the tone of voice, ça va can be used to express annoyance or to tell someone they have gone too far, similar to saying 'Enough!' in English.
- The word ça in ça va is a shortened version of cela, which itself combines ce meaning 'this' and là meaning 'there'.
- In France, ça va is often used as a filler or a way to check if something is okay, rather than just asking about a person's health.
Examples in context
- Comment ça va ?How are you?This sentence shows a standard way to ask the question using ça va.Tatoeba #4189529 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #373320 by CK
- Comment vas-tu, Mike ?How are you, Mike?This sentence shows how to ask a specific person how they are using comment vas-tu.Tatoeba #452530 by sacredceltic, translation #32975 by CN
- Salut, comment ça va ?Hi, how are you?This sentence shows a casual greeting combined with the phrase ça va.Tatoeba #3260084 by Aiji, translation #473177 by exjimmy
- Comment allez-vous aujourd'hui ?How are you today?
- Je vous salue, comment allez-vous ?Greetings, how are you?
- Ça va bien, et toi ?I'm good, and you?
- 126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Lucas meet at a cafe.
- EmmaSalut Lucas, comment ça va ?Hi Lucas, how are you?
- LucasÇa va bien, merci. Et toi ?I'm doing well, thanks. And you?
- EmmaÇa va très bien !I'm doing very well!
- LucasSuper, je suis content pour toi.Great, I'm happy for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how are you” translations and entries comment ça va, ça va, comment allez-vous, comment vas-tu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comment, comment allez-vous, comment ça va, va, ça, ça va, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
