¿Cómo estai?
informal, Chile
In Chile friends ask ¿Cómo estai?, a casual form of ¿Cómo estás? With a person you respect, use ¿Cómo está usted?
Meaning: asking about someone's well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estai? | informal, Chile |
| ¿Cómo estás? | neutral |
| ¿Cómo está usted? | formal |
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use usted with older people, officials and clients. With friends and family the -ai form is natural.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending -ai is typical of informal Chilean speech. Similar forms are ¿Cómo andai? and ¿Qué hací?, which mean "how are you doing?" and "what are you doing?"
Did you know?
- The Chilean tag ¿cachái? means "you know?" or "do you get it?" and often follows a sentence.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo estai?Hi, how are you?
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, how are you?
Example conversation
Ignacio meets his friend Matías at a café in Providencia.
- Ignacio¿Cómo estai, Matías?How are you, Matías?
- MatíasBien, ¿y tú?Fine, and you?
- IgnacioBien, gracias por venir.Fine, thanks for coming.
