Learn to ask "How are you?"
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| Becky: Welcome to 3-Minute Spanish Season 1, Lesson 4 - How are you? In this lesson, you’ll learn how to ask how somebody is in Spanish. | |
| Becky: Here’s the informal way to ask “How are you?” in Spanish. | |
| Laura: [Normal] ¿Cómo estás? | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “how” | |
| Laura: [Normal] cómo [Slow] cómo | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “are you” | |
| Laura: [Normal] estás [Slow] estás | |
| Becky: Note the rising intonation. Listen again to the informal question meaning “How are you?” | |
| Laura: [Slow] ¿Cómo estás? [Normal] ¿Cómo estás? | |
| Becky: Now, imagine you’re speaking to a stranger. Here’s the formal way to ask, “How are you?” | |
| Laura: [Normal] ¿Cómo está usted? | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “how” | |
| Laura: [Normal] cómo [Slow] cómo | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning “are” | |
| Laura: [Normal] está [Slow] está | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “you”, in formal register. | |
| Laura: [Normal] usted [Slow] usted | |
| Becky: Note again the rising intonation. Listen again to the formal question meaning “How are you?” | |
| Laura: [Slow] ¿Cómo está usted? [Normal] ¿Cómo está usted? | |
| Becky: Here’s a response meaning “I’m fine. Thank you.” | |
| Laura: [Normal] Estoy bien, gracias. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “I am” | |
| Laura: [Normal] estoy [Slow] estoy | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning “fine” | |
| Laura: [Normal] bien [Slow] bien | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “thanks” | |
| Laura: [Normal] gracias [Slow] gracias | |
| Becky: Listen again to the response, “I’m fine. Thank you.” | |
| Laura: [Slow] Estoy bien, gracias. [Normal] Estoy bien, gracias. | |
| Becky: Here’s a response meaning, “Not so well.” | |
| Laura: [Normal] No tan bien. | |
| Becky: First is a word meaning “not” | |
| Laura: [Normal] no [Slow] no | |
| Becky: Next is the word meaning “so” | |
| Laura: [Normal] tan [Slow] tan | |
| Becky: Last is the word meaning “well” | |
| Laura: [Normal] bien [Slow] bien | |
| Becky: Listen again to the response, “Not so well.” | |
| Laura: [Slow] No tan bien. [Normal] No tan bien. | |
| Cultural Insight | |
| Becky: Now it’s time for a quick cultural insight. | |
| Laura: You can also answer this question by saying okay, which implies the same thing as in English. And if you are not feeling so well, another common informal answer you can give is más o menos, meaning “more or less.” | |
| Becky: And that’s all for this lesson. Don’t forget to check out the lesson notes, and we’ll see you in the next lesson! | |
| Laura: Hasta pronto. |
28 Comments
HideListeners! How are you? Try answering this question in Spanish.
Hola lungs,
Muchas gracias for posting! We hope you liked the lesson! If you ever have any questions, please let us know. 😉
Kind regards,
Levente
Team SpanishPod101.com
Hola Paula,
Thank you for your comment.
If you want to say you feel hot then yes.
"Hace calor." - It's hot.
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
muchas gracias
Why is it written:
¡Hoy está tan caliente!
I thought it was the verb hacer for weather. This is very confusing.
So, can "Yo soy" and "Estoy" be used interchangeably? Or are they used only in particular situations?
Hola Grace,
Thank you for sharing.
Muy bien! Let us know if you have any question.
Sigamos practicando!
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com
Estoy muy bien, gracias
Hola Theresa,
Please also check out our video lessons:
https://www.spanishpod101.com/lesson-library/absolute-beginner
Should you have any questions, please let us know.
Saludos,
Cristiane
Team SpanishPod101.com
I HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH THE AUDIO LESSONS. I AM A VISUAL LEARNER. LISTENING ALONE DOESN'T REALLY HELP ME. I ALSO HAVE LEARNING DISABILITIES, HENSE THE VISUAL LEARNING
Hola Tryler,
Mucho gusto! Muy bien.
Please let us know if you have any question or doubt.
Sigamos practicando!
Saludos,
Carla
Team SpanishPod101.com