¿todo bien?
/ˈtodo ˈbjen/word by word
The Spanish phrase for "is everything okay?" is ¿todo bien?
¿todo bien? is a common way to ask if someone is doing well or if a situation is fine.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal shortening of ¿está todo bien?, meaning "everything well".
Which one should you use?
While ¿todo bien? asks if things are okay, ¿qué pasa? often implies that something might be wrong or that you are noticing a change in the atmosphere.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The shortened form ¿todo bien? is common in casual conversation, whereas ¿está todo bien? is more grammatically complete and slightly more formal.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtodo ˈbjen/
When do people say it?
A standard way to respond to this question is Todo bien, gracias.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, ¿todo bien? is used as a casual greeting similar to 'what's up?' rather than a genuine question about someone's well-being.
- In certain contexts, saying todo bien with a specific inflection can actually be a sarcastic way of implying that things are definitely not okay.
- The word todo is a direct relative of the English word 'total', as both stem from the Latin word 'tōtus'.
Examples in context
- Te veo triste, ¿todo bien?You look sad, is everything okay?
Example conversation
Lucía sees Javier looking stressed at a coffee shop.
- LucíaJavier, te veo muy preocupado. ¿Todo bien?Javier, you look very worried. Is everything okay?
- JavierSí, solo tengo mucho trabajo hoy.Yes, I just have a lot of work today.
- LucíaEntiendo, espero que descanses pronto.I understand, I hope you rest soon.
- JavierGracias, Lucía, eres muy amable.Thanks, Lucía, you are very kind.
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.
