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How to Say How are you? in Italian

Lesson four

After greeting someone in Italian, the next natural step is to ask how they are. This is an essential part of everyday conversation and helps create a friendly, polite interaction. In this lesson, you’ll learn the most common ways to ask How are you? in Italian, understand the difference between formal and informal language, and discover how to respond naturally in different situations.

Just like in English, Italians adjust the way they speak depending on who they are talking to. Using the correct form shows respect, confidence, and cultural awareness—especially in social or professional settings.

How to Ask How Are You? in Italian

The most common ways to ask How are you? in Italian are:

Come stai?

This is the informal way to ask someone how they’re doing. Use it with friends, family members, children, or people you know well. It’s friendly, relaxed, and very common in everyday conversations.

Come sta?

This is the formal version. It’s used when speaking to someone you want to show respect to, such as a stranger, an elder, a teacher, or someone in a professional environment. Even though it sounds similar, using the correct form is very important in Italian culture.

Come means how. and Stai (informal) and sta (formal) come from the verb stare, which literally means to stay but is commonly used to talk about health, feelings, and temporary states.

How to Respond

There are many ways to respond to Come stai? or Come sta?, depending on how you feel and how much you want to share. These are the most common and useful replies:

Italian	English Meaning
Bene	Good
Tutto bene	Everything’s good
Sto bene	I’m good / I’m well

You can also use slightly more expressive or conversational replies that Italians often use in daily life:

Italian	English Meaning
Alla grande	Great / Awesome
Non c’è male	Not bad
Tutto a posto	Everything’s in order / Everything’s fine

If you’re not feeling great, Italians often answer honestly but briefly. Here are some common responses:

Italian	English Meaning
Insomma	So-so / Not so great
Così così	So-so
Non molto bene	Not very well
Male	Bad
Sto male	I feel bad / I’m unwell

Other Common Ways to Ask How Are You?

Italians often use shorter, more casual expressions in everyday speech. These are informal but extremely common:

Come va?

How’s it going?

Tutto bene?

Everything okay?

Tutto a posto?

Everything alright?

These questions are often used as quick check-ins and don’t always require a long answer.

Asking About Someone Else

To ask how another person is doing, Italian uses the formal third-person form, even in informal conversations:

Ciao Marco, tutto bene? Come sta tua madre?

Hi Marco, how are you? How is your mother?

Lei sta bene, grazie. E tu?

She’s fine, thank you. And you?

Io sto bene, grazie.

I’m fine, thank you.

Summary

Asking how someone is in Italian is simple but very important. Use Come stai? for informal situations and Come sta? when you need to be polite or respectful. Common replies range from Bene and Sto bene to more expressive options like Alla grande or Così così. Italians often use casual alternatives like Come va? or Tutto bene?, especially in everyday conversations. Learning these expressions will help you sound more natural and confident when speaking Italian.