If you happen to’ve realized tips on how to say “howdy” in French, then you definitely’re able to take the subsequent step in fundamental dialog with the phrase, “how are you?”
It looks as if a easy query, however with the French language’s aptitude for formality, it’s necessary to know tips on how to phrase the query primarily based on the individual you’re speaking to and the character of the dialog. Select the suitable solution to phrase it, and also you’ll have extra management over how effectively your query is acquired!
Under, we’ll go over other ways you’ll be able to say “how are you?” in French, in addition to replies you can provide if somebody asks the query of you.
The best way to say “how are you” in French
These phrases can have you coated for many each day interactions, whether or not they’re businesslike or informal.
If you happen to write any of those phrases, embody an area earlier than the query mark. In French, you’ll need to place an area earlier than sure punctuation, akin to query marks, exclamations factors, colons, and semicolons. This is named une espace insécable, or “a non-breaking house.”
Remark allez-vous ?
Many individuals who don’t communicate French are nonetheless accustomed to this phrase. It’s a typical solution to say “how are you?” that matches in all kinds of conditions. It’s additionally formal and well mannered, so it’s acceptable to make use of with folks you need to be respectful towards, akin to a boss, an elder, or an authority determine.
Remark vas-tu ?
That is an off-the-cuff model of remark allez-vous ?, ideally used to greet buddies, household, and folks you already know effectively. You’ll be able to inform it’s casual as a result of, in French, tu is utilized in informal dialog whereas vous is primarily used with acquaintances or as an indication of respect
Remark ça va ?
That is one other casual solution to say “how are you?” that loosely interprets to “how’s it going?” Like with remark vas-tu ?, you must use this with folks you already know effectively.
You may as well shorten this to only ça va ?, which makes it much more casual. If you happen to say ça va ? you’ll doubtless not get an in depth reply, and the standard response to that is to only say ça va (“it goes”) again. If you happen to really need somebody to inform you how they’re doing, use remark vas-tu ? as an alternative.
Vous allez bien ?
This formal phrase roughly interprets to “are you effectively?” If you wish to ask this informally, you’d say tu vas bien ? as an alternative.
Remark vous sentez-vous ?
This implies “how are you feeling?” It’s a phrase that may be a sensible choice if you already know the individual you’re speaking to was sick or battling some situation. The casual model is remark tu te sens ?
Ça roule ?
Once you’re speaking to somebody you’re shut with, you should use this colloquial phrase which interprets actually to “it rolls?” It’s enjoyable, informal, and may also be used to ask how a selected activity goes. Like with ça va ?, folks typically reply to this by simply saying ça roule again.
The best way to reply to “how are you” in French
If you end up on the receiving finish of “how are you” in French, listed below are a number of replies you can provide. One factor to bear in mind is that, in formal conditions, it’s customary to maintain your solutions optimistic. When talking informally, you could be extra candid together with your responses.
It’s additionally well mannered to ask the opposite individual how they’re doing after you reply, in case you haven’t achieved so already. You are able to do this by saying et vous ? (“And also you?”) in a proper scenario, or et toi ? in an off-the-cuff one.
Formal
- Bien, merci = Good, thanks
- Très bien, merci = Excellent, thanks
- Je vais bien, merci = I’m doing effectively, thanks
Casual
- Ça va = It goes
- Ça va bien = It goes effectively
- Ça va très bien = It goes very effectively
- Pas mal = Not unhealthy
- Comme ci, comme ça = So-so
- Pas horrible = Not nice
- Ça roule = It rolls
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