Nada, ¿y tú?
/ˈnada i ˈtu/word by word
The English phrase "nothing, what about you?" is translated into Spanish as Nada, ¿y tú?
Nada, ¿y tú? is a standard response used when someone asks you ¿Qué haces? (What are you doing?) or ¿Qué tal? (How are things/How are you?).
What does it mean word for word?
The word Nada literally means "nothing".
Which one should you use?
You should use Nada, ¿y usted? instead of Nada, ¿y tú? when speaking to someone in a formal context or to an elder.
Did you know?
- While 'nothing' sounds like an absence, the history of nada implies 'no born thing', essentially meaning 'not even a single thing that has been born'.
- Using tú instead of usted in this phrase can be a way of 'tutear', a social process of transitioning a relationship from formal to intimate.
- While nada means 'nothing', the Galician word for the same concept is ren and the Catalan word is res.
Examples in context
- Nada, ¿y tú? ¿Cómo va todo?Nothing, what about you? How is everything going?
- Nada, ¿y tú? ¿Hiciste algo divertido?Nothing, what about you? Did you do anything fun?
- Nada, ¿y tú? ¿Tienes planes para hoy?Nothing, what about you? Do you have plans for today?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are chatting via text message.
- AlejandroHola Sofía, ¿qué haces?Hi Sofía, what are you doing?
- SofíaNada, ¿y tú?Nothing, what about you?
- AlejandroYo estoy descansando un poco.I am resting a little.
- SofíaQué bueno, Alejandro.That's good, Alejandro.
