¿cómo está?
usted
In Spanish, 'how are you' can be expressed as ¿cómo está? (usted) or ¿qué tal?
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿cómo está? | usted | ||
| ¿qué tal? | /ˈke ˈtal/ (word by word) | colloquial |
These phrases are used to greet someone and inquire about their well-being. ¿qué tal? is a versatile phrase that can often be used as a standalone greeting, similar to 'What's up?' in English.
Which one should you use?
¿cómo está? is the formal way to ask how someone is, whereas ¿qué tal? is a more casual, colloquial way to say 'how are you' or 'how's it going?'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿cómo está? is used in formal situations with people you address as 'usted'. ¿qué tal? is used in informal, colloquial settings.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to use the informal 'tú' form of the formal ¿cómo está?, you should use ¿cómo estás?
How do you pronounce it?
usted
When do people say it?
A common and standard response to any of these greetings is Bien, gracias.
Did you know?
- If you are greeted with ¿qué tal?, it is common in casual settings to respond with the exact same phrase ¿qué tal? as a way of saying 'hi' back.
- In some Latin American countries, the formal ¿cómo está? is used even among close friends or family members to show a specific type of respect or distance.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, responding to ¿qué tal? with a long, detailed list of your problems is often considered socially inappropriate, as it is often intended as a polite ritual rather than a deep inquiry.
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 demonstrates a typical exchange using ¿qué tal? and a common response.Tatoeba #2384863 by Shishir, translation #884471 by CK
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?Hi! How are you?This sentence shows a simple, enthusiastic use of ¿qué tal?Tatoeba #535236 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena meets Alejandro in the office hallway.
- ElenaHola, Alejandro. ¿Cómo está?Hello, Alejandro. How are you?
- AlejandroMuy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?Very well, thank you. And you?
- ElenaTodo bien por aquí.Everything is fine here.
- AlejandroMe alegro mucho.I am very happy to hear that.
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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
