How to Say How Are You in Spanish: 20+ Ways for Every Situation

The Short Answer

The most common way to ask "how are you" in Spanish is ¿Cómo estás? (KOH-moh ehs-TAHS) for casual situations and ¿Cómo está usted? (KOH-moh ehs-TAH oos-TEHD) when formality is required. But Spanish speakers across 21 countries have developed dozens of ways to ask this simple question, each shaped by region, relationship, and social context.

Spanish is the native language of approximately 489 million people and is spoken by over 559 million worldwide, according to Ethnologue's 2024 data. With that staggering reach (spanning from Madrid to Buenos Aires, from Mexico City to Manila), the ways people check in on each other vary enormously. An Argentine might greet you with ¿Cómo andás?, a Colombian with ¿Qué hubo?, and a Mexican with ¿Qué onda?, all meaning roughly the same thing. Whether you're looking up "how are you in spanish" for travel, study, or conversation, this guide covers everything you need.

"The choice between tú, usted, and vos when asking 'how are you' reveals the speaker's regional origin, their relationship to the listener, and the social norms of the interaction, all in a single phrase."

(Francisco Moreno Fernández, Variedades de la lengua española, Routledge)

This guide covers 20+ ways to ask "how are you" in Spanish, organized by formality and region. Each phrase includes pronunciation, a real-world example, and cultural context so you can choose the right one for any conversation.

Quick Reference: "How Are You" in Spanish at a Glance

Universal and Casual Ways to Ask "How Are You"

These phrases work across the entire Spanish-speaking world. They are your safest choices when talking to friends, acquaintances, and people your own age.

¿Cómo estás?

This is the phrase textbooks teach first, and for good reason. ¿Cómo estás? uses the informal tú form and works in every Spanish-speaking country. It is a genuine question that typically expects a real (though usually brief) answer like Bien, gracias (good, thanks).

Unlike English, where "how are you?" often functions as a greeting rather than a question, in many Latin American countries ¿Cómo estás? genuinely invites a response. Rushing past it without waiting for an answer can feel dismissive, particularly in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, where interpersonal warmth is deeply valued.

¿Qué tal?

¿Qué tal? sits somewhere between a greeting and a question. In Spain especially, it is often used more like "hey" than "how are you?", functioning as a quick check-in that does not necessarily demand a detailed answer. You can extend it naturally: ¿Qué tal la familia? (How's the family?), ¿Qué tal el fin de semana? (How was the weekend?).

According to the Real Academia Española (RAE), ¿Qué tal? has been documented in Spanish since the medieval period, making it one of the oldest conversational formulas still in daily use.

¿Cómo te va?

This phrase adds a layer of personal interest. While ¿Qué tal? can be tossed off casually, ¿Cómo te va? often signals that the speaker genuinely wants to know how things are going in your life. It pairs naturally with specific topics: ¿Cómo te va con el español? (How's the Spanish going?).

¿Qué hay?

Short, punchy, and casual. ¿Qué hay? is the kind of greeting you toss across a street or use when bumping into someone at the store. It does not expect more than a quick Todo bien (All good) or Aquí andamos (Here we are, getting by) in return.

Formal Ways to Ask "How Are You"

In Spanish, the shift from informal to formal is not just about politeness; it involves a complete change in verb conjugation and pronouns. As linguists Brown and Levinson documented in Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage, the tú/usted distinction is one of the clearest examples of social distance encoded directly into grammar. Getting it right signals cultural competence; getting it wrong can create awkwardness.

¿Cómo está usted?

The formal counterpart to ¿Cómo estás? Replace tú with usted and adjust the verb: estás becomes está. Use this with bosses, elderly people, medical professionals, government officials, and anyone you have just met in a professional context.

One important exception: in Colombia, usted is often used between close friends, family members, and even romantic partners. A Colombian couple might say ¿Cómo está, mi amor? without any formality intended. Context matters more than the pronoun alone.

¿Cómo se encuentra?

This phrase carries a slightly literary or medical tone. You will hear it from doctors asking patients how they feel, from formal correspondence, and in diplomatic settings. It goes a step beyond ¿Cómo está usted? in showing deference and concern.

¿Cómo le va?

The formal version of ¿Cómo te va?, this phrase swaps the informal te for the formal le. It strikes a balance between respect and warmth, more personal than a stiff ¿Cómo está usted? but still appropriately formal for professional and intergenerational conversations.

Very Casual and Slang

These phrases are for friends, peers, and casual encounters. Using them in formal settings would sound inappropriate, but among friends they sound natural and relaxed.

¿Qué pasa?

An upbeat, all-purpose greeting that works across the entire Spanish-speaking world. The energy is higher than ¿Cómo estás?. Think of it as the difference between "how are you?" and "hey, what's happening!" Be aware that adding a pronoun shifts the meaning: ¿Qué te pasa? becomes "What's wrong with you?"

¿Qué hay de nuevo?

This one specifically invites the other person to share news or updates. It works best when you have not seen someone in a while, signaling that you are genuinely curious about what has been happening in their life, not just passing through with a quick greeting.

¿Qué rollo?

Distinctly Mexican, ¿Qué rollo? is a slangy way of asking what is going on. You will hear it among friends, in casual workplaces, and constantly in Mexican pop culture. It carries a laid-back, youthful energy that signals familiarity.

Regional Variations

One of the richest aspects of Spanish is how "how are you?" changes depending on which of the 21 countries you find yourself in. These regional phrases immediately signal cultural awareness and often delight native speakers when used by learners.

¿Cómo andás?

Argentina's voseo system replaces tú with vos, which changes verb stress patterns: estás stays the same, but andas becomes andás (stress on the last syllable). ¿Cómo andás? uses andar (to walk/go) instead of estar (to be), giving it a more dynamic feel: it is asking not just how you are but how your life is moving along.

Approximately 40 million Argentines and 3.5 million Uruguayans use vos as their default pronoun. You will also encounter it in Paraguay, parts of Central America, and Colombia's Antioquia region.

¿Qué hubo?

¿Qué hubo? is Colombia's signature greeting. In fast speech, it contracts to ¿Quiubo? (kee-OO-boh), so compressed that many Colombians do not even realize it comes from three separate words. It is warm, casual, and often paired with parce or parcero (buddy), another distinctly Colombian term.

¿Qué onda?

If there is one phrase that immediately signals Mexican Spanish, it is ¿Qué onda? The word onda (wave) has taken on the slang meaning of "vibe" or "scene," making this phrase roughly equivalent to "what's the vibe?" It is casual, youthful, and heard everywhere from Mexico City streets to Mexican cinema. See our guide to the best movies for learning Spanish for films packed with authentic Mexican expressions.

¿Cómo vai?

Chilean Spanish stands out for its unique pronunciation and vocabulary. ¿Cómo vai? reflects the Chilean tendency to soften or drop consonants. Chilean Spanish, or chileno, has been called the "most difficult" variety for learners to understand by Moreno Fernández, largely because of its rapid pace and heavy use of local slang like cachai (you know?) and po (an emphatic particle added to almost anything).

How to Respond to "How Are You" in Spanish

Knowing how to ask is only half the conversation. Here are the most common responses, ranging from positive to honest.

Positive Responses

Neutral and Honest Responses

The "Bien" Default

Here is something fascinating about cross-cultural pragmatics: much like English speakers default to "fine" or "good" regardless of how they actually feel, Spanish speakers overwhelmingly respond with Bien even during difficult times. Linguist Anna Wierzbicka's research on cross-cultural communication patterns confirms this as a near-universal politeness strategy: the "how are you / I'm fine" exchange serves a social bonding function rather than an information-seeking one.

However, in many Latin American cultures, particularly in countries like Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, the "how are you" exchange carries more genuine weight. People may offer longer, more detailed responses, and rushing past the greeting without pausing for an answer can come across as cold or disinterested.

Phone Greetings vs. Face-to-Face

Asking "how are you" works differently on the phone versus in person. In face-to-face conversations, body language, a smile, or a handshake accompanies the greeting. On the phone, the ¿Cómo estás? typically comes after the initial phone-specific greeting:

The pattern is consistent: country-specific phone opener first, then the regional "how are you" of your choice.

Practice With Real Spanish Content

Reading these phrases gives you a foundation, but hearing them spoken naturally by native speakers is what makes them stick. Regional variations in particular (the Argentine ¿Cómo andás?, the Colombian ¿Quiubo?, the Mexican ¿Qué onda?) are best absorbed through authentic spoken content where you can hear the intonation, speed, and context.

Wordy lets you watch Spanish movies and shows with interactive subtitles, allowing you to tap on any phrase to see its meaning, pronunciation, and cultural context in real time. Instead of memorizing phrases from a list, you pick them up from real conversations with authentic accents and body language.

For more Spanish resources, browse our blog for guides on everything from the best movies to learn Spanish to greetings, farewells, and beyond. Visit our Spanish learning page to start practicing today.