Important information before even starting: French language uses the verb aller (to go) to express how one is doing. So you mustn’t say in French: “Comment tu es ?” or “Comment vous êtes ?” as a direct translation from English.

Questions possibles – How to ask “How are you?” in French

The most common question is:

Mr Bean Mr Bean Ok GIFfrom Mr Bean GIFs

But there are different ways of asking someone how one is doing, depending on:

• the kind of question you are using (est-ce que, rising tone or inversion subject-verb)
• using tu or vous to talk to the person (see the lesson about how to choose between “tu” and “vous”)

Comment tu vas/vous allez ? (question personnelle) – How are you? (personal question)

➜ Should you say “tu” or “vous” when talking to a French person? Have a look at the lesson tu or vous? Which “you” should you choose?

How are you in French using “tu”:

How are you in French using “vous”:

Comment ça va ? (en général) – How is it going? (in general)

Réponses possibles – Possible answers to how are you in French

“Ça roule ma poule !”

🇫🇷 “Ça roule ma poule” est une façon familière et amusante de demander ou répondre que tout va bien.
Cette expression se rapproche des expressions en anglais : “That works for me!”, “Sure thing!” or “No worries!”

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🇬🇧 “Ça roule ma poule” is a familiar and amusing way of asking or answering that everything is fine.
This expression is similar to “That works for me!”, “Sure thing!” or “No worries!”.