phrase

qué tal

kay TAL

Qué tal (phrase) means a Spanish greeting meaning 'how are you?' or 'how's it going?'. Example: “Qué tal — how was the flight?”

phrase

A Spanish greeting meaning 'how are you?' or 'how's it going?'

"Qué tal — how was the flight?"

"She waved and called out a quick qué tal."

Used before a noun to ask how something was or what someone thinks of it: 'how about…?' or 'how was…?'

"Qué tal la película — worth watching?"

How to Use Qué tal

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSpanish for 'how are you?'

When to use it

Informal to neutral — safer with a stranger than qué pasa, but still not formal. Written ¿qué tal? in full Spanish punctuation.

Memory tip

Qué tal is the most flexible of the Spanish greetings: it can stand alone, or take a noun (qué tal el trabajo?) or a verb (qué tal dormiste?).

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

qué pasa → cómo estás qué onda

Common pairings

qué tal estás qué tal todo hola, qué tal

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ — how was the flight?

Etymology

Spanish qué 'what' plus tal 'such, so', literally something like 'what such?'

Origin: Spanish

Synonyms

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how are you how's it going what's up how was how about what about

Related Words

hello wsg WTW qué pasa qué pasó

Rhymes for qué tal

brutal

See all rhymes for qué tal →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between qué tal and cómo estás?

Cómo estás is a direct question about your state of health or mood and expects a real answer. Qué tal is looser and more like 'how's things?' — it can greet a person or ask about a thing, as in qué tal el hotel?

How do you answer qué tal?

Bien, gracias ('fine, thanks'), todo bien ('all good') or muy bien, ¿y tú? ('very well, and you?'). Returning the question is expected.

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hello wsg WTW qué pasa qué pasó