¿todo bien?
/ˈtodo ˈbjen/word by word
The English phrase "is everything good?" can be translated into Spanish as ¿todo bien?
¿Todo bien? is a casual phrase used both as a greeting, similar to asking "How's it going?" and as a genuine inquiry to see if a specific situation is satisfactory.
What does it mean word for word?
This phrase is a literal translation of "everything good?", where todo means "everything" and bien means "well" or "good".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
¿Todo bien? is a casual, colloquial way to greet someone or check in on them. In informal settings, you may also hear ¿Todo está bien? or ¿Está todo bien?
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the form ¿Va todo bien? is more commonly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the casual greeting ¿todo bien?, the verb está (is) is often omitted, making the phrase more concise than the full grammatical sentence ¿Está todo bien?
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtodo ˈbjen/
When do people say it?
When someone asks you ¿Todo bien?, a common and natural response is to repeat the phrase as a statement: Todo bien (Everything is good).
Did you know?
- If you have recently had a disagreement with someone, asking ¿todo bien? can serve as a subtle way to ease the tension or move past a conflict without having to offer a formal apology.
- While English speakers typically use 'is everything good?' for people, in many Spanish-speaking cultures, the same phrase can be used to ask if a machine or a piece of technology is working correctly.
- The word todo is a direct relative of the English word 'total', as both descend from the Latin tōtus.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María meet at a cafe.
- Alejandro¡Hola María! ¿Todo bien?Hi María! Is everything good?
- MaríaSí, todo bien, gracias.Yes, everything is good, thanks.
- AlejandroMe alegra mucho escuchar eso.I am very glad to hear that.
- María¿Y tú cómo estás?And how are you?
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (todo, bien) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, todo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
