HOW ARE YOU? in Italian

Come va?
Come stai?
Come sta?
Come state?
AGH what?
Confused about the right way to ask ‘How are you?’ in Italian? Looking for phrases and expressions that Italian people use every day?

Nessun problema! No problem! Here’s your guide to formal and informal Italian greetings, and the correct Italian pronunciation so you’ll feel like a local. There’s even a handy chart to keep everything straight.

You’ll also learn how to ask someone how they’re feeling by asking come ti senti?, as well as how to use stai meglio? and va meglio? to check up on someone who hasn’t been doing well.

And, if you freeze when someone asks you how are you? in Italian, we’re here to the rescue! You’ll learn how to answer, with plenty of responses like good, and you (bene, e tu?). And to keep the conversation going the Italian way, you’ll find out how to respond to tutto bene, or when someone tells you how they are. There are also plenty of sample dialogues to help you with formal and informal situations. 

Good To Know: Usually you’ll want to say Hello! in Italian before you ask How are you?
Here’s a guide to greetings and How to Say Hello in Italian. 

And now avanti! On we go.

COME VA?

Come va? means How’s it going? It’s informal, just like in English. Come va? is an easy, common way to ask someone how they are in Italian.

The pronunciation of Come va? is: COH-meh vah

Listen to how to pronounce Come va? here: 

COME STAI?

Come stai? means How are you? It’s important to remember that this is the informal singular form, so don’t use it in formal situations.

Only use it with someone you know well, in your family, and people in your peer group. It isn’t polite to use it with an elder or someone you don’t know well enough to use the informal form.

To ask How are you today? ask Come stai oggi?

The pronunciation of Come stai? is: COH-meh STAH-ee

Listen to how to pronounce Come stai? here: 

COME STA?

Come sta? also means How are you?, but it is the formal singular form. This means you should use it with someone you have a formal relationship with, like a teacher, a business acquaintance, or someone you don’t know.

The pronunciation of Come sta? is: COH-meh stah

Listen to how to pronounce Come sta? here: 

COME STATE?

Come state? is another phrase that means How are you? This time, it’s the plural form, so it is like saying How are you (all)? when talking to more than one person.

The pronunciation of Come state? is: COH-meh STAH-teh

Listen to how to pronounce Come state? here: 

COM’È?

Another informal way of asking how are you? is com’è? It means how is it?, as in how is life? 

The pronunciation of Com’è? is: COH-meh-eh

Listen to how to pronounce Com’è? here: 

TUTTO BENE? TUTTO OK? TUTTO A POSTO?

These three ways that Italians ask how are you? are quite similar. Tutto means everything, and these easy phrases to remember. It’s best to use them in informal situations.

Tutto bene? means Everything going well? 
Tutto ok? means Everything going ok?
Tutto a posto? means Everything going alright? 

The pronunciation of Tutto bene?, Tutto ok?, and Tutto a posto? is:   

Listen to how to pronounce Tutto bene?, Tutto ok?, and Tutto a posto? here: 

CHE COMBINI?

The translation of Che combini? is What are you up to? This is an informal way to ask someone how they are and what they’ve been doing. This is not for formal settings.

The pronunciation of Che combini? is: keh cohn-BEE-nee

Listen to how to pronounce Che combini? here: 

COME VA LA VITA/COME VANNO LE COSE?

If you wish to ask someone how they are but with more specific language, these questions will come in handy. You may want to ask how life is going, for example. Like in English, these are casual, and should be used in informal situations with people you know well.

Come va la vita? means How is life going?
Come vanno le cose? means How are things going?

The pronunciation of Come va la vita? and Come vanno le cose? is: COH-meh vah lah VEE-tah and COH-meh VAH-noh leh COH-seh

Listen to how to pronounce Come va la vita? and Come vanno le cose? here: 

CHE SI DICE/CHE MI RACCONTI?

These are two casual ways to ask someone to tell you about what’s new. Like What’s up? in English, you’re inviting someone to talk to you about how they are and what they’ve been doing. 

Che si dice? means What’s the news? 
Che mi racconti? means What can you tell me?

The pronunciation of Che si dice? and Che mi racconti? is: keh see DEE-cheh and keh mee rah-COHN-tee

Listen to how to pronounce Che si dice? and Che mi racconti? here: 

COME TE LA PASSI?

Come te la passi? is another informal way to ask someone how they are. It means How are you getting on? It should not be used in formal settings. 

The pronunciation of Come te la passi? is: COH-meh teh lah PAH-see

Listen to how to pronounce Come te la passi? here: 

COME BUTTA?

To try on Italian teenage slang, ask Come butta? It means How’s it going? and is strictly informal!

The pronunciation of Come butta? is: COH-meh BOO-tah

Listen to how to pronounce Come butta? here: 

CHE SUCCEDE?

The translation of Che succede? is What’s happening? It can be used in both informal and formal situations, depending on how you say it.  

In fact, depending on your inflection, the meaning can change quite a bit.

If you say Che succede? in a relaxed, happy way upon seeing someone you know well, it is similar to saying What’s up?

For example:
Ciao amico! Non ci vediamo da tanto tempo. Che succede?
Hi friend! We haven’t seen each other in a long time. What’s up?

But if you say Che succede? in a concerned way, you are asking What’s happening? as in What’s wrong? In this case, you can also say it to people you have a formal relationship with, like strangers or elders.

For example:
Ti vedo triste. Che succede? You look sad to me. What’s wrong?

The pronunciation of Che succede? is: keh SOO-cheh-deh

Listen to how to pronounce Che succede? here: 

A QUICK GUIDE TO HOW ARE YOU? IN ITALIAN

When learning Italian, it is sometimes difficult for English speakers to match the right Italian phrases and expressions to informal and formal situations. Here’s a breakdown of the many ways to say How are you? in Italian, and whether they’re formal or informal.

Come va?	How’s it going?	Informal
Come stai?	How are you?	Informal singular
Come sta?	How are you?	Formal singular
Come state?	How are you?	Plural
Com’è?	How is it/How is life?	Informal
Tutto bene?	Everything going well?	Informal/formal
Tutto ok?	Everything ok?	Informal
Tutto a posto?	Everything going alright?	Informal
Che combini?	What are you up to?	Informal singular
Come va la vita?	How is life going?	Informal
Come vanno le cose?	How are things going?	Informal
Che si dice?	What’s the news?	Informal
Che mi racconti?	What can you tell me?	Informal singular
Come te la passi?	How are you getting on?	Informal singular
Che butta?	How’s it going?	Very informal
Che succede?	What’s up? What’s happening?	Informal/formal

HOW ARE YOU FEELING?

If you’d like to ask someone how they’re feeling physically or emotionally, ask:

Come ti senti? (the informal form, to someone you know well) 

or

Come si sente? (the formal form)

Come ti senti and Come si sente mean How are you feeling? in Italian.

WHEN YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS WRONG

Sometimes you can tell that someone isn’t doing so well. Or you know they haven’t been feeling well and you want to ask if they’re doing better. Here are some useful questions to use in such situations.

Qualcosa non va? Is something wrong? 
Stai meglio? Are you doing better? (informal singular)
Ti senti meglio? Do you feel better? (informal singular)
Va meglio? Are things going better?

HOW TO RESPOND TO COME STAI?

If you’re at a loss for words when someone asks you Come stai? or Come va?, here are some handy Italian phrases. 

How should you answer? It depends how you’re doing! 

HOW TO ANSWER WHEN YOU’RE DOING WELL

Here are some positive responses to Come stai? or Come va?: 

Bene!	Well!
Tutto bene!	Everything is good!
Sto benissimo!	I’m great!
Va benissimo!	It’s going great!
Alla grande!	Fabulous!
Da favola!	Wonderful (like a fairy tale)!
Mai stato/a meglio!	Never been better!
Sto meglio	I’m doing better
Me la cavo	I’m getting by
Tutto a posto	Everything is alright
Tutto ok	Everything is ok
Non c’è male	Not bad

Next, make sure you say grazie (thank you), and ask the other person how they are by saying:

E tu?	And you? (informal singular)
E lei?	And you? (formal singular)
E voi?	And you? (plural)

Here’s a sample dialogue:

A: Salve Alessia, come va? Hello Alessia, how’s it going?
B: Bene e tu? Good and you?
A: Alla grande! Oggi è il mio compleanno! Fabulous! Today is my birthday!
B: Davvero? Tanti auguri! Really? Happy Birthday!

HOW TO ANSWER WHEN YOU’RE NOT DOING SO GREAT

Here are some responses to Come stai? or Come va? when things are going ok, but not fabulous:

Come al solito	As usual
Non mi posso lamentare	I can’t complain
Accontentiamoci	We can be ok with it
Così così	So-so
Potrebbe andare peggio	It could be worse
Ho avuto giorni peggiori	I’ve had worse days

Here’s a sample dialogue:

A: Ciao babbo, come stai? Hi Dad, how are you?
B: Non mi posso lamentare. E tu tesoro mio? Che combini? I can’t complain. And you my treasure? What are you up to?

HOW TO ANSWER WHEN YOU’RE NOT DOING WELL

Here are some negative responses to Come stai? or Come va?

Non molto bene	Not very well
Male	Bad
Malissimo	Very bad
Insomma	Meh
Ho avuto giorni migliori	I’ve had better days
Un pò stanco/a	I bit tired
Non lo so	I don’t know
Non me lo chiedere	Don’t ask (informal)
Potrebbe andare meglio	It could be better

HOW TO ANSWER WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU HOW THEY’RE DOING

You’ve asked someone how they are, and they’ve told you . . . now what? 

If they respond that they’re doing well, you can use these Italian phrases:

Che piacere! What a pleasure! 
Mi fa piacere. I’m glad.

If they respond that they’re not doing so great, you can ask:

Che succede? What’s happening? What’s going on?

If they tell you they’re doing badly, you can use the phrase:

Mi dispiace. I’m sorry.

Here are some sample dialogues:

A: Buongiorno Signora Bianchi, come sta? Hello Mrs. Bianchi, how are you?
B: Tutto bene, grazie. Everything is good, thank you.
A: Mi fa piacere. I’m glad.
B: Domani non posso venire alla nostra lezione di italiano. Vado in vacanza in montagna. Arrivederci! Tomorrow I can’t come to our Italian lesson. I’m going on vacation in the mountains. Goodbye!

A: Ciao mamma, come stai? Hi Mom, how are you?
B: Insomma. Meh.
A: Che succede? What’s going on?
B: Mi fa male la gamba e domani il dottore va in vacanza. My leg hurts and the doctor is going on vacation tomorrow.

A: Buonasera Pasquale, come va? Hello Pasquale, how is it going?
B: Malissimo. Terrible.
A: Che succede? What’s happening?
B: È morto il mio cane. My dog died.
A: O no, mi dispiace. Oh no, I’m sorry.
B: Mi manca tantissimo. I miss her terribly.
A: Condoglianze Pasquale. Ti sono vicino. Condolences Pasquale. I’m here for you.
B: Grazie Giuseppe. Thank you Giuseppe.

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