How are you?

Ça va ? Ça va. The same two words make the question and the answer; only the tone of voice changes.

After hello comes the question how are you, and French has several ways to ask it, from the very polite to the very relaxed. As with greetings, the choice depends on who you are talking to. With a stranger, an older person or someone at work you use the vous form; with friends and family you use the short ça va. This unit covers the questions, the usual answers and how to send the question back.

Asking

Comment allez-vous ? (How are you?) is the polite question, with the verb aller, to go: literally, how are you going? It is the one to use with someone you address as vous. Vous allez bien ? (Are you well?) is a little less formal and very common. With friends you say Comment ça va ? or simply Ça va ?, and in relaxed speech Tu vas bien ? or even Ça roule ? The rising tone of the question matters a great deal in French. Ça va said with the voice going up is a question; ça va said with the voice falling is an answer.

Answering

The everyday answers run from good to bad. Très bien (very well) and bien (well) are the positive ones, often followed by merci: Très bien, merci. Ça va bien is a common answer to ça va, and ça va on its own means fine, OK. Pas mal (not bad) is a relaxed positive. Comme ci, comme ça means so-so, and bof, with a shrug, says not great without going into detail. If things are really bad you can say Pas très bien or Ça ne va pas, but for a passing hello people usually keep the answer short and positive.

Sending the question back

A French exchange is not finished until you ask in return. With vous you say Et vous ? (And you?); with tu you say Et toi ? Notice that toi, not tu, is used here, because the pronoun stands on its own. A full polite exchange therefore goes: Bonjour, Madame. Comment allez-vous ? Très bien, merci. Et vous ? Bien, merci. Between friends it shrinks to: Salut ! Ça va ? Ça va, et toi ? Ça va. Both are complete and natural.