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How to Say ‘Fine, thanks.’ in French

Ça va bien, merci.

sah vah bee-ehn mehr-see

[sah vah bee-ehn mehr-see]

Phrase Breakdown

Ça va bien,

sah vah bee-ehn

I'm doing well,

This is the standard answer to 'Ça va ?'. Say sah vah bee-AN, with a nasal ending.

Example

Ça va bien, et toi ?

I'm fine, and you?

Words in this phrase

Ça

[sah]

it / that

Common subject pronoun in everyday French, often meaning "it" in expressions.

Example

Pour notre contrôle de maths, Ça va bien se passer.

For our math test, it will go well.

[vah]

goes

Indicates the state or condition something is in.

Example

Comment va ta journée ?

How is your day going?

bien

[bee-ehn]

well

An adverb meaning in a good way or satisfactorily.

Example

Dans Se passe bien ?, bien montre que l'on parle d'une situation positive.

In "Se passe bien?", "bien" shows that one is talking about a positive situation.

merci.

mehr-see

thank you.

Say mehr-SEE, falling gently at the end of the sentence.

Example

Oui, merci.

Yes, thank you.

Words in this phrase

merci

[mehr-see]

thank you / thanks

Common polite expression to thank someone.

Example

Merci pour votre aide avec la réservation.

Thank you for your help with the booking.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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