Comment ça va?
How are you?
Language note: A staple of polite conversation in French, equivalent to 'How are you?'
Culture note: Even in informal conversations, it's polite to ask this.
Context: After the initial greeting, you want to ask your friend how they're doing.
Word-by-Word Breakdown
Comment
[koh-mahn]
How
A way to inquire about someone's well-being.
Comment ça va aujourd'hui?
How is it going today?
ça
[sa]
it
Subject pronoun in casual questions.
Comment ça va? Tout se passe bien?
How's it going? Is everything going well?
va
[va]
goes
Part of the expression to ask someone's state.
Ça va bien, merci.
It's going well, thank you.
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