Ça va ?
The English phrase "what's up" can be translated into French as Ça va ?
Ça va ? is a versatile expression that can be used as a greeting to ask "How are you?" or as a way to check on someone's well-being to ask "Are you okay?" Other ways to express similar sentiments include the idiomatic Ça roule ? for "how's it going?", the versatile Comment ça se passe ? for "how's it going?" or "how's everything?" and the informal Quoi de neuf ? which specifically means "what's new?"
Meaning: How are you? (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Ça va ? literally translates to "It goes?" or "Is it going?"
Which one should you use?
While Ça va ? is casual and close to "What's up?", the phrase Comment allez-vous ? is a formal way to say "How are you?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canada and some parts of Switzerland, Comment tu vas ? is a frequently used greeting.
How does it change in a sentence?
By replacing the question mark with a period, Ça va ? becomes the statement Ça va, which means "It's going well" or "I'm doing well".
When do people say it?
A common and natural response to the question Ça va ? is to simply repeat the phrase back as Ça va. to indicate that you are doing well.
Did you know?
- In a fast conversation, Ça va ? can be used as both the question and the answer in a loop, where the only difference is the rising or falling tone of the voice.
- The phrase Ça roule ? is a more colorful version of 'how's it going?' because the verb rouler means to roll, like a wheel on a road.
- The word ça is a shortened version of cela, which is a combination of ce meaning 'this' and là meaning 'there'.
Examples in context
- Ça va ?What's up?This example shows the use of Ça va ? as a greeting.Tatoeba #14970 by sacredceltic, translation #25164 by CK
- Salut, ça va ?Hi, how are you?
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas meet at a café.
- ManonSalut Lucas, ça va ?Hi Lucas, how are you?
- LucasÇa va, et toi ?I'm fine, and you?
- ManonÇa va bien.I'm doing well.
- LucasSuper !Great!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries va, ça, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
