Italian word of the day: Come stai vs Come va

 

There are many different ways to ask a person how they are in Italian and unlike English, the variations depend on how well you know someone or if you’re asking a group of people or just one person.

However, come va and come stai are the main ways to ask people how they are in Italian. Let’s take a look at them and their differences in more depth.

Come stai?

You’ve probably heard this phrase a lot when speaking Italian. It is after all only natural to ask a person how they are when engaging in conversation. Come means how and stai is the second person singular of the verb stare which means to stay. Directly translated into English, this becomes “how you stay?” Here, however, the verb stare takes on the same meaning as the English verb to be.

The conjugation of stai changes depending on who you are talking to. Come stai for instance is used for people we know well enough such as an acquaintance, classmate, or friend. On the other hand, come sta is used formally when addressing a client or professor. It’s also used when asking the person you are talking to how someone else is. For example: 

Non vedo Gina da secoli. Come sta?

I haven’t seen Gina for ages. How is she?

If you’re talking to a group of people, you would ask come state?

Come va?

This is another way of asking someone how they are. However, unlike come stai, come va is best to use if you know the person you are talking to. Translated it means “How’s it going?” It’s less personal than come stai and the conjugations remain the same no matter who you are talking to.

Ciao Giovanni ed Erica. Come va?

Hi Giovanni and Erica. How’s it going?

You can also use "come vanno le cose?" which translates into "how are things?"

Either way, both phrases are fine to use. Just remember to use come va with people you know.