¿Cómo va todo?
The English phrase "how is everything?" is translated into Spanish as ¿Cómo va todo?
¿Cómo va todo? is used to ask about the general state of someone's life or affairs.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "How goes everything?", where va is the third-person singular form of the verb ir (to go).
Which one should you use?
While ¿Cómo está todo? is a direct translation of "How is everything?", the phrase ¿Cómo va todo? is more common and idiomatic in Spanish.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you change the subject from todo (everything – singular) to las cosas (the things – plural), the verb must change to the plural form van, as seen in ¿Cómo van las cosas? (How are things going?).
When do people say it?
A very common and natural response to the question ¿Cómo va todo? is Todo bien (Everything is fine/good).
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, asking ¿Cómo va todo? can be a way to initiate a conversation without expecting a detailed answer, acting more like a greeting than a question.
- The word todo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'total', both stemming from the Latin word 'tōtus'.
- Depending on the country, you might hear ¿Cómo va la cosa? in the singular, which functions identically to ¿Cómo va todo? but emphasizes 'the situation' specifically.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro meet at a local cafe.
- SofíaHola, Alejandro. ¿Cómo va todo?Hello, Alejandro. How is everything?
- AlejandroMuy bien, Sofía, gracias por preguntar.Very well, Sofía, thanks for asking.
- Sofía¿Y qué hay de tu familia?And what about your family?
- AlejandroTodos están muy contentos.Everyone is very happy.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, todo, va, CC BY-SA 4.0.
