How to Say Are You OK in Spanish
Learn how to say are you OK in Spanish. The phrase is '¿Estás bien?' (es-TAHS byen) informally, '¿Está bien?' formally. Pronunciation + when to use each.
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Quick answer
To say are you OK in Spanish, say '¿Estás bien?' (es-TAHS byen) to someone you address informally, or '¿Está bien?' (es-TAH byen) formally. It literally means 'Are you well?' For a group, use '¿Están bien?' Note Spanish opens questions with an inverted '¿'.
¿Estás bien?
/es-TAHS byen/ — Spanish
How to Say Are You OK in Spanish
When you want to check on someone in Spanish, the go-to phrase is ¿Estás bien? (es-TAHS byen) — literally “Are you well?” Spanish has no separate word for “OK,” so bien (“well”) does the job. The form changes depending on formality and how many people you’re addressing.
The Standard Question: ¿Estás bien?
¿Estás bien? — pronounced es-TAHS byen
This is the informal (tú) way to ask if a friend, family member, or peer is OK. It uses the verb estar (to be, for temporary states and conditions) rather than ser, because being OK is a passing condition. Note the inverted question mark ¿ that opens the sentence in written Spanish.
Copy the Phrase
The Spanish for are you OK is ¿Estás bien? (es-TAHS byen).
All the Ways to Ask Are You OK in Spanish
| Spanish | Pronunciation | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| ¿Estás bien? | es-TAHS byen | Informal (tú) — friends, family |
| ¿Está bien? | es-TAH byen | Formal (usted) — strangers, elders |
| ¿Están bien? | es-TAHN byen | Plural (ustedes) — a group |
| ¿Estáis bien? | es-TAH-ees byen | Plural informal (Spain, vosotros) |
| ¿Te encuentras bien? | teh en-KWEN-tras byen | Do you feel well? (caring) |
| ¿Todo bien? | TOH-do byen | All good? (casual check-in) |
| ¿Qué te pasa? | keh teh PAH-sa | What’s wrong? (informal) |
| ¿Estás seguro / segura? | es-TAHS seh-GOO-ro / -ra | Are you sure? |
Formal vs. Informal
Spanish changes the verb ending with formality:
- Informal (tú): ¿Estás bien? — for friends, family, children, peers.
- Formal (usted): ¿Está bien? — for strangers, elders, clients, or professional contexts.
- Plural (ustedes): ¿Están bien? — a group, in Latin America (formal or informal).
- Plural informal (vosotros, Spain): ¿Estáis bien?
When checking on someone you don’t know — say, after a fall — the formal ¿Está bien? is safest.
Replying and Following Up
- Estoy bien — I’m OK / fine.
- Estoy bien, gracias — I’m fine, thanks.
- No estoy bien — I’m not OK.
- ¿Qué te pasa? — What’s wrong with you? (informal, caring)
- ¿Necesitas ayuda? — Do you need help?
- ¿Seguro que estás bien? — Are you sure you’re OK?
Pronunciation Tips
- The accent on á in estás/está marks the stressed syllable: es-TAHS, es-TAH.
- bien is a single syllable: “byen.”
- Spanish vowels are pure: e = “eh,” a = “ah,” i = “ee.”
- Remember the opening ¿ in writing, even in short questions.
Cultural Notes
¿Estás bien? is both a literal health/safety check and a warm, everyday way to show concern, much like English “Are you OK?” A casual ¿Todo bien? (“all good?”) works as a friendly check-in among friends. If someone seems upset, following up with ¿Qué te pasa? or ¿Quieres hablar? (do you want to talk?) shows genuine care — and Spanish-speaking cultures generally value this kind of open, caring concern.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say are you OK in Spanish?
Say '¿Estás bien?' (es-TAHS byen) to a friend or family member, or '¿Está bien?' (es-TAH byen) formally to a stranger or someone you respect. It literally means 'Are you well?' To a group, say '¿Están bien?'
How do you pronounce ¿Estás bien?
'¿Estás bien?' is pronounced es-TAHS byen. Stress falls on 'TAHS' (the accent on 'á' marks it). 'Bien' is one syllable, 'byen,' rhyming with 'yen.' Spanish vowels are clean: e = 'eh,' a = 'ah,' i = 'ee.'
Is ¿Estás bien? formal or informal?
'¿Estás bien?' is informal (tú) — for friends, family, children, and peers. The formal (usted) version is '¿Está bien?' for strangers, elders, or professional settings. For more than one person, use '¿Están bien?' (ustedes) or, in Spain, '¿Estáis bien?' (vosotros).
What is the literal meaning of ¿Estás bien?
'¿Estás bien?' literally means 'Are you well?' — 'estás' is the second-person form of 'estar' (to be, for states/conditions) and 'bien' means 'well.' Spanish uses 'estar' here because being OK is a temporary condition, not a permanent trait. There's no separate word for 'OK'; 'bien' covers it.
How do you say are you alright or what's wrong in Spanish?
'Are you alright?' is also '¿Estás bien?' or '¿Te encuentras bien?' (Do you feel well?). 'What's wrong?' is '¿Qué te pasa?' (informal) or '¿Qué le pasa?' (formal). 'Are you sure?' is '¿Estás seguro?' (m.) / '¿Estás segura?' (f.). To reassure, 'Estoy bien' means 'I'm OK.'