Don’t say ¿cómo estás? in Spanish everytime you start a conversation. The Spanish language is very rich in the colloquial register, so, you have many other variations at your disposal. However, ¿cómo estás? is maybe the most popular and the first expression learnt by our students at Spanishviaskype.com.

In a previous article, we started our section Don’t say… talking about different options to say adiós in Spanish. Today, let us give you one tip: don’t say ¿cómo estás? in Spanish and try this:

Don’t say ¿cómo estás? in Spanish and try other cómo options

The interrogative adverb cómo is used to ask about the way that something is done or the state of something or somebody. In consequence, it’s a very good choice to start a conversation and show interest is someone’s mood.

  • ¿Cómo te va? = How is it going?

  • ¿Cómo andas / andamos? = How is it going?

  • ¿Cómo lo llevas? = How are you doing?

  • ¿Cómo te trata la vida? = How’s life treating you?

 

Don’t say ¿cómo estás? in Spanish and try qué questions

If cómo questions don’t satisfy you, don’t worry, don’t say ¿cómo estás? and try questions starting with the interrogative pronoun qué:

  • ¿Qué tal? = How are you?

  • ¿Qué hay? = What’s up?

  • ¿Qué pasa? = What’s going on?

  • ¿Qué te cuentas? = What’s up?

  • ¿Qué es de tu vida? = How’s life treating you?

How to answer these questions in a good mood

Great! don’t say ¿cómo estás? in Spanish everytime, you got it; and now what? How can you answer these questions? Bien, gracias, might be your first choice, but… don’t say bien, gracias, everytime. Here you have more option, assuming you are in a good mood:

  • ¡De puta madre! = Fucking great!

  • ¡Genial! = Great!

  • Estupendamente = Fantastic!

  • No me puedo quejar / No puedo quejarme = I can’t complain!

How to answer these questions in a bad mood

It’s not normal to answer these questions with a pessimistic reply. Remember, they are only a way to break the ice. There are options to sound less optimistic, though. Let’s learn some:

  • ¡Así, así! = so-so!

  • ¡Más o menos! = so-so!

  • (Voy) Tirando / tirandillo. = Not too bad!

  • Se hace lo que se puede. = I do what I can (literally).

To sum up, don’t say ¿cómo estás? in Spanish everytime you want to start a conversation. Try these options if you speak to a Spanish speaker, or in the DELE Exams, or to start a session at Spanishviaskype.com. Would you like to try a trial lesson with us? We’ll be very pleased to help you speak Spanish from the very first moment.