How are you?

This is a very usual question, and there are different ways to ask it, and to answer it. Let’s have a look!

In english, the verb “to be” is used: how are you, I am fine. But in French, it is the verb “to go”: comment ça va, je vais bien. « Aller », is an irregular verb and it can appear under different forms. If you are interested, at the end of the lesson is its conjugation at the present time.

How are you?

How are you?	Explanations
Comment ça va ?	It’s a usual way to ask, neutral, and it has the advantage to use neither « tu », nor « vous », in case you hesitate between the two.
Comment vas-tu ?	Literally “how are you”, with « tu ».
Comment allez-vous ?	Same as above, with « vous » (used for politeness or plural).
Tu vas bien ?	Here the structure is not exactly interrogative, but the ascending intonation at the end of the sentence, and the context, will indicate that this is a question.
Vous allez bien ?	Same as above with « vous ».
Ça va ?	It’s a bit less formal than « comment ça va? » ; because it’s short, it’s also what is used after something sudden happens, and you want to know how the person is feeling. For instance, if someone falls and you want to know if they are not hurt.
Comment ça va, depuis (dimanche/hier/le mois dernier…) ?	How are you since… Sunday/yesterday/last month…?
Quoi de neuf ?(informal)	What’s new (in your life) ? It’s not exactly how are you, but it is close.

Answering:"good"

Good	Explanations
Bien. Et toi ? Et vous ?	Good. And you (singular, plural)?
Ça va bien, merci. Et toi, ça va ? Et vous, ça va ?	Feeling good, thank you. And you, feeling good?
Merci, je vais bien. Et vous, comment allez-vous ? Et toi, comment vas-tu ?	Thank you, I am well. And you, how are you?

Positive answers:

Positive answers	Explanations
Très bien !	Very well !
Super ! Nickel ! (informal)	Great.
Plutôt bien.	Rather well.
Je vais plutôt bien.	I am rather well.

Neutral answers:

Neutral answers	Explanations
Ça peut aller.	It’s ok.
On fait aller.	It’s ok.
On ne se plaint pas.	Not complaining.
Comme un lundi !	As a Monday!

Negative answers:

Negativel answers	Explanations
(Je ne vais) pas très bien.	(I am) not really well.
(Je ne vais) pas bien.	(I am) not well.
(Je ne vais) vraiment pas bien.	(I am) really not well.
(Je ne vais) pas bien du tout.	(I am) not well at all.
Bof. (informal)	It is difficult to translate, but it means something like “nothing special, not bad or good”
Sans plus.	It means there is nothing exceptional, nothing special.
Ça a été mieux.	It’s been better.
J’ai été mieux.	I’ve been better.
Pas terrible.(informal)	Not wonderfully well.

Conjugation of « aller » (to go):

je vais

tu vas

elle, il, on va

nous allons

vous allez

elles, ils vont