Sofia · Learn Spanish How to say it in Spanish How to Say How Are You in Spanish (+ Variations You'll Hear)
How are you in Spanish is ¿cómo estás? — and the follow-up every learner needs is that Spanish has a formal twin, ¿cómo está?, plus a whole family of casual cousins Mexicans actually use with friends: ¿qué onda?, ¿qué tal?, ¿cómo te va? Pick the wrong register and nothing breaks — but pick the right one and people visibly warm up to you.
The main way to say it
¿Cómo estás? — pronounced KOH-moh ehs-TAHS.
The essentials:
- Stress lands on -TAS: ehs-TAHS. That final written accent (estás) is your map.
- The ending is the whole grammar: estás (with -s) is the informal tú form for friends, family, kids, and peers. Está (no -s) is the formal usted form for elders, strangers, officials, and professional settings: ¿Cómo está (usted)?
- Crucial verb choice: it’s estar, not ser. ¿Cómo estás? asks how you’re doing right now. ¿Cómo eres? — with ser — asks what you’re like as a person (“describe yourself”). Mixing them up turns small talk into a personality interview. If the ser/estar split still feels fuzzy, our ser vs. estar guide untangles it.
In Mexico, greetings and “how are you” fuse into one move: Hola, ¿cómo estás? or Buenos días, ¿cómo está? Asking is expected — skipping it and going straight to business feels brusque.
Variations
| Phrase | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Cómo estás? | How are you? | Informal default |
| ¿Cómo está (usted)? | How are you? | Formal |
| ¿Qué tal? | How’s it going? | Casual, safe almost anywhere |
| ¿Cómo te va? | How’s it going for you? | Casual-friendly |
| ¿Cómo le va? | How’s it going for you? | Formal but warm — very common in Mexico |
| ¿Cómo has estado? | How have you been? | For someone you haven’t seen in a while |
| ¿Qué onda? | What’s up? (lit. “what wave?”) | Mexican slang — friends only |
| ¿Qué pasó? | What’s up? (lit. “what happened?”) | Mexican casual — nothing needs to have happened |
| ¿Qué hubo? / ¡Quiubo! | What’s up? | Mexican casual, compressed in speech |
| ¿Todo bien? | All good? | Quick check-in |
¿Qué onda? deserves its own paragraph because it’s the Mexican greeting: literally “what wave?”, functionally “what’s up?”. Use it with friends and people your age — never to open with your girlfriend’s grandmother or a visa officer. And know that in Mexico, ¿qué pasó? is usually just a hello; if a friend fires it at you, they’re not asking what went wrong.
How to answer — keep it short, positive, and bounce it back:
- Bien, gracias, ¿y tú? — Fine thanks, and you? (informal)
- Muy bien, gracias, ¿y usted? — Very well, and you? (formal)
- Todo bien, ¿y tú qué? — All good, what about you?
- Más o menos. — So-so.
- Aquí nomás / aquí andamos. — Just here, hanging in there (delightfully Mexican).
- No me quejo. — Can’t complain.
One trap: regular in Spanish means “meh, not great” — not “regular.” Answer regular and expect a concerned ¿por qué, qué pasó?
Hear it in context
Running into a friend (casual, Mexican):
— ¡Ey! ¿Qué onda? ¿Cómo estás? — ¡Qué milagro! Todo bien, aquí nomás. ¿Y tú qué cuentas? — Nada nuevo, mucho trabajo. Oye, hay que echarnos un café un día de estos.
Hey! What’s up? How are you? — Long time no see! All good, just hanging in. And what’s new with you? — Nothing new, lots of work. Hey, we should grab a coffee one of these days.
Greeting a client (formal):
— Buenos días, licenciada. ¿Cómo está? — Muy bien, gracias, ¿y usted? — Bien, gracias. ¿Le parece si empezamos?
Good morning, ma’am. How are you? — Very well, thank you, and you? — Well, thanks. Shall we get started?
Common mistakes
- Using “¿cómo estás?” with everyone. With your friend’s grandfather, your professor, or any usted relationship, drop the -s: ¿cómo está? The one letter is the whole difference between casual and respectful.
- “¿Cómo eres?” instead of “¿cómo estás?” Ser asks about identity, estar about state. ¿Cómo eres? = “what kind of person are you?” — a strange thing to ask the barista.
- Answering “regular” to mean “fine.” In Spanish it signals things are a bit off. Say bien or todo bien.
- Opening with “¿qué onda?” in formal settings. It’s friends-and-peers slang. A job interview starts with buenos días, ¿cómo está?
- Forgetting to ask back. Bien, gracias full stop sounds abrupt. The rhythm is answer + ¿y tú? / ¿y usted? — always return the ball.
Related phrases
The “how are you” almost never travels without its companions:
- How to say good morning in Spanish — the greeting that usually comes right before it.
- How to say thank you in Spanish — because bien, gracias is already half of it.
- Go deeper on every hello, from formal to slang, in 30 ways to say hello in Spanish.
FAQ
What’s the difference between “¿cómo estás?” and “¿cómo está?” Estás = informal tú (friends, peers, kids). Está = formal usted (elders, strangers, professional settings). Same question, different level of respect.
What does “¿qué onda?” literally mean? “What wave?” — Mexican slang for “what’s up?”. Friends only; answer with nada, aquí nomás or just ¿qué onda? back.
How do I ask “how have you been?” ¿Cómo has estado? — perfect for someone you haven’t seen in weeks. Even warmer: ¡Cuánto tiempo! ¿Cómo has estado?
Is “¿qué tal?” informal? It’s casual but remarkably safe — you can use ¿qué tal? in almost any situation short of the most formal ones.
The register switch — estás vs. está, ¿qué onda? vs. ¿cómo le va? — only becomes automatic when you practice it in live conversation, and that’s exactly what Sofia, an AI Spanish tutor you can talk to anytime, gives you.