Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| comment ça va | /kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/ | informal |
| ça va | /sa va/ | informal |
| comment allez-vous | /kɔ.mɑ̃.t‿a.le.vu/ | formal, plural |
| comment vas-tu | /kɔ.mɑ̃ va.ty/ /kɔ.mɑ̃ vɑ.ty/ |
informal, singular |
In French, there are multiple ways to ask how someone is doing depending on the level of politeness and the number of people you are addressing. You can use comment allez-vous to be formal, comment vas-tu or comment ça va for informal situations and the very short ça va for a casual inquiry that can also mean "Are you okay?"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ça va literally means "it goes".
Which one should you use?
The choice of phrase depends on who you are talking to. Use comment allez-vous when speaking to a stranger, a superior or a group of people. For a single friend, a family member or a child, use the informal comment vas-tu. The phrases comment ça va and ça va are also informal options for everyday use.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Comment allez-vous is a common formal way to ask someone how they are doing. In contrast, comment vas-tu, comment ça va and ça va are informal. If you want to express specific concern for someone's well-being in a very formal manner, you might use comment vous portez-vous?, which means "How are you keeping?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The formal form comment allez-vous uses inversion, which means switching the positions of the verb and the subject, to form the question.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɔ.mɑ̃ sa va/
When do people say it?
When someone asks how you are, common responses include Ça va bien (I'm fine), Très bien, merci (Very well, thank you), Pas mal (Not bad), Comme ci, comme ça (So-so) or Ça ne va pas (Not well). Interestingly, the phrase ça va is versatile: it can be used as a question to ask how someone is or as a standalone answer to mean "It's going" or "I'm fine".
Did you know?
- The word ça is a calque of the German word Es, which is a substantivized pronoun.
- Unlike the English 'How are you?', which usually prompts a positive answer, ça va? is often used by French speakers to genuinely check if someone is distressed or 'okay'.
- While English speakers use 'how are you' as a general greeting, using comment allez-vous in a very casual setting can sometimes sound overly stiff or ironically formal to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Comment ça va ?How are you?This example shows how to use the phrase ça va to ask how someone is doing.Tatoeba #4189529 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #373320 by CK
- Comment vas-tu, Mike ?How are you, Mike?This example uses the informal singular form comment vas-tu to address someone by name.Tatoeba #452530 by sacredceltic, translation #32975 by CN
- Salut, comment ça va ?Hi, how are you?This example uses the informal phrase ça va within a greeting.Tatoeba #3260084 by Aiji, translation #473177 by exjimmy
- 126 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma meet in a park.
- HugoSalut Emma, comment ça va ?Hi Emma, how are you?
- EmmaÇa va bien, merci, et toi ?I'm doing well, thanks, and you?
- HugoMoi aussi, ça va très bien.Me too, I'm doing very well.
- EmmaSuper, je suis contente pour toi.Great, I am happy for you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how are you” translations and entries comment ça va, ça va, comment allez-vous, comment vas-tu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries comment, comment allez-vous, comment ça va, va, ça, ça va, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
