Ways to say it
| Spanish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿cómo está? | usted | ||
| ¿qué tal? | /ˈke ˈtal/ (word by word) | colloquial |
The phrase is used as a greeting. ¿qué tal? can function as both a question and a general greeting, often used without expecting a detailed medical or emotional report.
Which one should you use?
¿cómo está? is the formal way to say "How are you?" In contrast, ¿qué tal? is a more casual, versatile greeting that translates to "How's it going?" or "How are you?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use ¿cómo está? when addressing someone with the formal usted, such as a boss, an elder or a stranger. ¿qué tal? is a more casual, versatile greeting used with friends, peers or in relaxed social settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask "how are you" informally using the tú form, change the ending of the default form from ¿cómo está? to ¿cómo estás?
How do you pronounce it?
usted
When do people say it?
A standard, polite response to both formal and informal versions of "how are you" is Bien, gracias.
Did you know?
- In very casual settings, the greeting ¿qué tal? is often shortened or blended with other slang, such as ¿qué onda?, which literally means 'what wave?'
- While ¿cómo está? is the formal greeting, in some regions of Latin America, usted is used even among close friends or family members as a sign of specific regional identity rather than formality.
- The word qué in ¿qué tal? shares the same ancient root as the English word 'what', both descending from Proto-Indo-European origins.
Examples in context
- Hola, Susan. ¿Qué tal?Hi, Susan. How are you?This sentence shows a greeting to Susan using ¿qué tal?Tatoeba #10151681 by saverius, translation #54605 by CN
- «¿Qué tal?» «No me puedo quejar.»"How are you?" "I can't complain."This sentence shows a dialogue where one person uses ¿qué tal? and the other responds.Tatoeba #2384863 by Shishir, translation #884471 by CK
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?Hi! How are you?This sentence shows a simple greeting using ¿qué tal?Tatoeba #535236 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo meets his former teacher, Elena, on the street.
- MateoBuenos días, Elena. ¿Cómo está?Good morning, Elena. How are you?
- ElenaHola, Mateo. Estoy muy bien, gracias.Hello, Mateo. I am very well, thank you.
- Mateo¿Qué es de su vida?How has your life been?
- ElenaTodo va de maravilla.Everything is going wonderfully.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how are you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (qué, tal) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, qué, tal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
