How to Say ‘How are you?’ in French
Comment ça va ?
koh-mahn sah vah
[koh-mahn sah vah]
💬 Usage Tip: [Comment ça va ?] is literally more like "How is it going?" than "How are you?" You can reuse [comment] the same way in [Comment allez-vous ?] or [Comment tu t'appelles ?].
🇫🇷 In France: This is a very common everyday greeting, often closer to a quick check-in than a serious question. A short reply like [Ça va ?] or [Ça va, merci.] is the normal move.
Phrase Breakdown
Comment
[koh-mahn]
How
This word is used to ask about the manner or condition.
Comment allez-vous ?
How are you?
ça
[sah]
that
Used to refer to a thing previously mentioned or easily identified.
Comment ça va aujourd'hui ?
How is it going today?
va
[vah]
goes
Refers to moving or proceeding.
Si tout va bien, on finira tôt.
If all goes well, we will finish early.
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