How to Say ‘How are you? (formal)’ in Spain Spanish
¿Cómo está usted?
KOH-moh es-TAH oos-TEHD
[KOH-moh es-TAH oos-TEHD]
💬 Usage Tip: usted takes the same verb form as "he/she": está, not estás.
🇪🇸 In Spain: Spain uses tú much more freely than Latin America. Keep usted for older people and formal settings, and switch to tú if they do.
Phrase Breakdown
Cómo
[KOH-moh]
how
Question word used to ask about the nature or manner of something.
¿Cómo describirías el ambiente de trabajo en tu empresa?
How would you describe the work environment in your company?
está
[es-TAH]
are (formal you)
Form of 'estar' used with 'usted' to ask about someone's state or wellbeing.
¿Está usted cansado?
Are you tired?
usted
[oos-TEHD]
You (formal)
A formal way to address someone, typically used in formal contexts or when speaking to someone with whom you don't have a close relationship.
¿Usted estará tomando ese taxi?
Will you be taking that taxi?
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