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 to inquire about someone's well-being. ¿qué tal? is a very common, colloquial way to say 'how are you' that can be used in many social situations, either as a standalone greeting or as a follow-up to a person's name, such as 'Hola, Juan, ¿qué tal?'
Which one should you use?
¿cómo está? is the formal version used with people you do not know well or people in authority. In contrast, ¿qué tal? is a colloquial alternative.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿cómo está? is a formal option. ¿qué tal? is a colloquial form used in many social settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the informal version of 'How are you?' is often expressed as ¿qué tal?
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ¿cómo está? uses the third-person singular conjugation to show respect to the listener (usted).
How do you pronounce it?
usted
When do people say it?
A standard, polite response to any version of 'how are you' in Spanish is Bien, gracias.
Did you know?
- While 'how are you' asks about a person's state, the phrase ¿qué tal? literally translates to 'what such', which can feel nonsensical to an English speaker.
- If you use ¿cómo está? with a friend in many parts of Latin America, you might accidentally sound like you are being sarcastic or overly stiff.
- The word cómo evolved from the Latin cōmō̆, which was originally a non-literary or colloquial version of the more formal quōmodo.
Examples in context
- Hola, Susan. ¿Qué tal?Hi, Susan. How are you?This sentence shows how to use ¿qué tal? after a name.Tatoeba #10151681 by saverius, translation #54605 by CN
- «¿Qué tal?» «No me puedo quejar.»"How are you?" "I can't complain."This sentence shows an 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 ¿qué tal? as a greeting.Tatoeba #535236 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- Muy bien, graciasVery well, thank you.
- Bien, ¿y usted?Fine, and you?
- Regular, graciasOkay, thank you.
- ¡Genial! ¿Y tú?Great! And you?
- Más o menosSo-so.
- ¡Estupendo!Fantastic!
- Estoy bien, graciasI'm fine, thank you
- Aquí, echándole ganasHere, giving it my best
- ¡Muy bien!Very well!
- RegularcilloSo-so
- Voy tirandoI'm managing
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía meets her former teacher, Javier, in a café.
- SofíaHola, Javier. ¿Cómo está?Hello, Javier. How are you?
- JavierMuy bien, gracias. ¿Y usted?Very well, thank you. And you?
- SofíaTodo bien por aquí.Everything is good here.
- JavierMe alegra mucho escuchar eso.I am very glad 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, qué, tal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
