How are you?
Literally, is it going? Listen to the rising question intonation.
FREE BEGINNER LESSON 2 · FRENCH
French: How are you?
Learn to use how are you? in a practical conversation and understand a natural reply.
Informal · one person. Learn the meaning, listen to the pronunciation, then practise in the interactive lesson.
Practise this lessonOpening vocabulary referenceUseful French phrases and their meanings
I am well, thank you.
Je vais means I go or I am going; vais bien is the usual expression for being well.
And you?
Toi is the stressed form used on its own after et when addressing one person informally.
I am fine too.
Aussi means too or also. This short reply keeps the conversation moving.
How the sentence works
Ça va ? is a very common question about how someone is. The same words can be a positive reply with statement intonation: ça va. Tu and toi address one person informally. French uses different subject and stressed forms: tu vas, but et toi ?
A short conversation in French
Hi! How are you?
I am well, thank you. And you?
I am fine too.
Words to recognise
that / it
well
and
too / also
Listen to the whole phrase before focusing on each word. You can replay as often as you like, and the interactive lesson uses pictures and a short exchange to put the meaning in context.
Open the interactive lessonThe opening six teaching lessons are free, including the mini-tests after lessons three and six. A test accepts any answer and shows the score and corrections at the end. No typing or speaking aloud is required.
Keep learning French
Free five-minute audio lesson and MP3 · Language learning games
The pronunciation uses prepared synthetic voices. Credits and licences explain the free voice models. Independent native-speaker certification is not claimed.