je vais bien, merci
To say "I am well, thank you" in French, use je vais bien, merci.
This phrase is a polite response used to tell someone that you are in good health or spirits.
Which one should you use?
While je vais bien, merci focuses specifically on the subject I, the phrase ça va bien, merci is a more impersonal and common way to say that things are going well in general or that you are doing fine.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can add the adverb très before bien to create the phrase je vais très bien, merci, which means "I am doing very well, thank you".
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly say je suis bien to mean "I am well". In French, je suis bien usually refers to being physically comfortable or feeling at ease in a setting.
Did you know?
- The word merci originally comes from the Latin word mercēdem, which meant 'wages', 'fee' or 'price'.
- The word vais comes from the Latin vadō, which is the root for the English word 'evade' meaning to escape or avoid.
- While English uses the verb 'to be' to describe a state of health, French uses 'aller', which is the verb 'to go'. This is why the literal translation of je vais bien is 'I am going well'.
Examples in context
- Comment allez-vous ? Je vais bien, merci. Et vous ?How are you? I am well, thank you. And you?
- Je vais bien, merci.I am well, thank you.
- Oui, je vais bien, merci de demander.Yes, I am well, thank you for asking.
Example conversation
Lucas meets Emma at a cafe and asks how she is.
- LucasComment vas-tu, Emma ?How are you, Emma?
- EmmaJe vais bien, merci, Lucas.I am well, thank you, Lucas.
- LucasContent de l'entendre.Glad to hear it.
- EmmaEt toi ?And you?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, je, merci, vais, CC BY-SA 4.0.
