¿está bien?
The English phrase "is she okay?" is translated into Spanish as ¿está bien?
Which one should you use?
The phrase ¿está bien? is gender-neutral and can mean "is he okay?", "is she okay?" or "is it okay?" depending on the context. For a more formal expression, you may use ¿Se encuentra bien ella?
How does it change in a sentence?
You can include the pronoun ella (she) to be explicit, as in ¿está ella bien?, but it is often omitted because the verb conjugation está already implies a third-person singular subject.
Did you know?
- The word bien shares a common ancestor with the English word 'bonus'. Both originate from the Proto-Italic word *dwenos, meaning 'good'.
- To ask if she is in a good mood rather than just asking if she is alright, some Latin American speakers say ¿está de buenas?
- In some Latin American countries, ¿está bien? is used as a filler phrase to check if the listener is following the conversation, similar to 'right?' or 'okay?' in English.
Examples in context
- El profesor preguntó si la estudiante se encuentra bien.The teacher asked if the student is okay.
- Llamé a mi amiga después del accidente para preguntarle si está bien.I called my friend after the accident to ask if she is okay.
- Ella se cayó, ¿está bien?She fell, is she okay?
- Parece triste, ¿está bien?She looks sad, is she okay?
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier see a friend trip and fall.
- Sofía¡Ay no! ¿Está bien?Oh no! Is she okay?
- JavierCreo que sí, se está levantando.I think so, she is getting up.
- SofíaMe preocupa que se haya lastimado.I'm worried that she got hurt.
- JavierNo te preocupes, ella está bien.Don't worry, she is okay.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
