Ways to say it
| Spanish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿cómo está? | usted | ||
| ¿qué tal? | /ˈke ˈtal/ (word by word) | colloquial |
These phrases are used as greetings to ask about someone's well-being. While ¿cómo está? is a standard way to respectfully ask how someone is doing, ¿qué tal? is a more casual phrase that can translate to "How's it going?" or "What's up?"
Which one should you use?
Use ¿cómo está? when addressing someone with the formal "usted", such as an elder, a stranger or a boss. In contrast, ¿qué tal? is a more casual, colloquial way to say "how are you".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿cómo está? is the formal version of the greeting. ¿qué tal? is tagged as colloquial and is used in informal situations.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The expression ¿Cómo andas? is an informal way to say "how are you" used in certain regions, such as Argentina and Uruguay.
How does it change in a sentence?
The formal ¿cómo está? uses the "usted" form. The informal singular version of this phrase is ¿cómo estás?, which uses the "tú" form of the verb. If you are addressing a group of people you are familiar with, the informal plural form is ¿cómo estáis?
How do you pronounce it?
usted
When do people say it?
A common and standard response to any form of "how are you" is Bien, gracias.
Did you know?
- While an English speaker might ask 'How are you?' to start a conversation, using ¿cómo estás? in some Spanish-speaking cultures can signal a genuine interest in your health or emotional state rather than just a polite greeting.
- The word cómo comes from the Latin cōmō̆, which was a non-literary or colloquial version of the word quōmodo.
- In Spain, you might hear ¿cómo estáis? when greeting a group, but in Latin America, you would almost always use ¿cómo están?
Examples in context
- Hola, Susan. ¿Qué tal?Hi, Susan. How are you?This sentence shows how to use ¿qué tal? in a greeting.Tatoeba #10151681 by saverius, translation #54605 by CN
- «¿Qué tal?» «No me puedo quejar.»"How are you?" "I can't complain."This example shows a possible exchange using ¿qué tal?Tatoeba #2384863 by Shishir, translation #884471 by CK
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?Hi! How are you?This is a simple way to use ¿qué tal? as a greeting.Tatoeba #535236 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- ¡Buenos días, Señor Gutiérrez! ¿Cómo está usted?Good morning, Mr. Gutiérrez! How are you?
- Bien, ¿y tú?Good, and you?
- Todo bien, ¿y usted?All good, and you?
- ¡Buenas tardes, señora Martínez! ¿Cómo está usted?Good afternoon, Mrs. Martinez! How are you?
- Hola, Juan. ¿Cómo estás?Hi, Juan. How are you?
- Buenos días, chicos. ¿Cómo estáis?Good morning, guys. How are you?
- ¿Qué tal? ¿Cómo andas?What's up? How are you doing?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía sees her elderly neighbor Daniel in the hallway.
- SofíaBuenos días, Daniel. ¿Cómo está?Good morning, Daniel. How are you?
- DanielMuy bien, gracias, Sofía.Very well, thank you, Sofía.
- Sofía¿Está usted cansado hoy?Are you tired today?
- DanielUn poco, pero estoy bien.A little, but I am fine.
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.
