Hola, ¿cómo estás?
The English phrase "hello, how are you?" translates to Spanish as Hola, ¿cómo estás?
Which one should you use?
You should use Hola, ¿cómo está usted? instead of Hola, ¿cómo estás? when you are speaking to elders, superiors or people you do not know in order to show respect.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word estás is the second-person singular conjugation of the verb estar (to be), and it is used specifically for temporary states such as health or mood.
When do people say it?
A common and natural response to Hola, ¿cómo estás? is Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, you might hear ¿Qué onda? as a casual alternative to ¿cómo estás?, which literally translates to 'what wave?'
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, a greeting like hola is often accompanied by a single kiss on the right cheek or two kisses in a cycle.
- The word hola may have evolved from an ancient command to 'stop' or 'hey!', rather than a friendly greeting.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿cómo está usted?Hello, how are you?
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, how are you?
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está usted?Good afternoon, how are you?
- ¡Hola, qué tal?Hi, how's it going?
- ¿Qué pasa?What's happening? or What's going on?
- ¿Cómo estás?How are you?
- Hola, ¿cómo estás? Yo estoy bien.Hello, how are you? I am well.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, hola, CC BY-SA 4.0.
