Ways to say it
| Spanish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿cómo está? | usted | ||
| ¿qué tal? | /ˈke ˈtal/ (word by word) | colloquial |
These phrases are used as greetings. While ¿cómo está? is a direct way to ask how someone is, the colloquial ¿qué tal? can function as a more general greeting similar to "how's it going?" or "what's up".
Which one should you use?
¿cómo está? is the formal way to ask the question, whereas ¿qué tal? is a more casual, colloquial alternative.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿cómo está? is used when addressing someone with the formal usted. In contrast, ¿qué tal? is a colloquial expression. Other variations include the informal ¿cómo estás? and the informal Spanish expression ¿cómo te va?, which means "how is it going for you?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain Latin American countries, particularly Colombia and parts of Central America, people might say ¿cómo está? In Spain, the informal expression ¿cómo te va? is common.
How does it change in a sentence?
The informal version of the formal ¿cómo está? is ¿cómo estás?, which uses the tú form.
How do you pronounce it?
usted
When do people say it?
A common and natural response to these greetings is Bien, gracias.
Did you know?
- Depending on the country, a greeting like ¿cómo estás? might be accompanied by a single kiss on the right cheek or two kisses in Spain, which is a gesture not found in English speaking cultures.
- The phrase ¿qué tal? literally translates to 'such what' or 'how such', reflecting its origin from the Latin tālis meaning 'such'.
- Even though 'how' is 'cómo', the phrase ¿cómo te va? translates literally to 'how it goes to you', focusing on the movement of life rather than your internal state.
Examples in context
- Hola, Susan. ¿Qué tal?Hi, Susan. How are you?This sentence shows ¿qué tal? used in a greeting.Tatoeba #10151681 by saverius, translation #54605 by CN
- «¿Qué tal?» «No me puedo quejar.»"How are you?" "I can't complain."This sentence demonstrates a common exchange using ¿qué tal? and a response.Tatoeba #2384863 by Shishir, translation #884471 by CK
- ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?Hi! How are you?This is a simple greeting using ¿qué tal?Tatoeba #535236 by Shishir, translation #30316 by Zifre
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, how are you?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena meets Daniel, her boss, in the office hallway.
- ElenaBuenos días, Daniel. ¿Cómo está?Good morning, Daniel. How are you?
- DanielMuy bien, Elena. ¿Y usted?Very well, Elena. And you?
- ElenaTodo bien, gracias por preguntar.Everything is fine, thanks for asking.
- DanielMe alegro. Nos vemos en la reunión.I'm glad. I'll see you at the meeting.
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.
