phrase
hola, cómo estás
OH-lah KOH-moh es-TAHSS
Hola, cómo estás (phrase) means a Spanish greeting meaning hello, how are you, used with someone you address informally — a friend, a peer or a child. Example: “She answered the phone with a bright hola, cómo estás.”
phrase
1
A Spanish greeting meaning hello, how are you, used with someone you address informally — a friend, a peer or a child.
"She answered the phone with a bright hola, cómo estás."
"Hola, ¿cómo estás? — Bien, gracias."
How to use hola, cómo estás
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSpanish for hello, how are you.
When to use it
Informal Spanish. Widely recognised by English speakers as a stock phrase, and often written without accents online.
Memory tip
Cómo estás asks about someone's current state; ¿quién eres? asks who they are. Use estar, not ser, for how someone feels.
Trace the full origin ↓
Easily confused with
Common pairings
hola, ¿cómo estás?
hola amigo
¿cómo estás hoy?
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like hola, cómo estás.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She answered the phone with a bright _____.
Etymology
Spanish, literally 'hello, how are you'; estás is the informal second-person form of estar, to be.
Frequently asked questions
How do you reply to hola cómo estás?
The standard reply is bien, gracias — fine, thanks — often followed by ¿y tú? to return the question. Muy bien means very well, and más o menos means so-so.
What is the difference between cómo estás and cómo está?
Estás is informal, used with friends, family and people your own age. Está is the formal usted form, used with strangers, elders and in professional settings. Using the informal form with someone who expects the formal one can sound over-familiar.
Why does cómo have an accent here?
The accent marks it as a question word meaning how. Without the accent, como means as or like, or I eat. In writing, Spanish also opens the question with an inverted mark: ¿cómo estás?
What is the meaning of hola, cómo estás?
"hola, cómo estás" (phrase) means a Spanish greeting meaning hello, how are you, used with someone you address informally — a friend, a peer or a child.
