qué tal
/ˌke ˈtal/
In Spanish, qué tal is an informal greeting used to say "how's it going?" or "what's up?"
You can use qué tal as a standalone greeting or expand it with nouns to be more specific. For example, adding todo results in ¿Qué tal todo?, which means "How is everything?"
Which one should you use?
While ¿Cómo estás? also means "How are you?", qué tal is more informal and focuses more on 'how things are going' than the specific state of the person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
qué tal is an informal greeting, similar to "how's it going" in English. If you need to be formal, you should use ¿Cómo le va? (how's it going?), ¿Qué tal le va? (how's it going for you?) or ¿Cómo se encuentra? (how are you?).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and some parts of Central America, the informal phrase ¿Qué onda? is commonly used to mean "what's up?"
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌke ˈtal/
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with qué tal, a common response is bien (fine/well), often followed by asking the question back, such as bien, ¿y tú? (fine and you?).
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, qué tal is used so quickly as a greeting that the speaker does not actually expect an answer. It functions more like a 'hello' than a genuine question about someone's well-being.
- The word tal in qué tal comes from the Latin 'tālis', meaning 'such' or 'of such a kind'.
- Although qué tal is often used as a greeting, it can also function as an exclamation to express surprise, much like saying 'How about that!' in English.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿qué tal?Hi, how are you?
- ¿Qué tal todo por la casa?How is everything at your house?
- Oye, ¿qué tal tu nuevo trabajo?Hey, how is your new job going?
Example conversation
Javier meets Elena at a cafe.
- JavierHola Elena, ¿qué tal?Hi Elena, how are you?
- ElenaMuy bien, gracias, ¿y tú?Very well, thank you, and you?
- JavierTodo bien por aquí.Everything is fine over here.
- ElenaMe alegra mucho escucharlo.I am very glad to hear that.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry qué tal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries qué, tal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
