Let’s be honest, ‘Are you ok?’ is an indispensable phrase to have in your Spanish lexicon.
Not only is it extremely important to be able to ask after somebody’s wellbeing, but you never know when it might come in handy and even help you (or someone else) out in an emergency!
In this article I’m going to cover 8 (yes, 8!) ways to say this useful little phrase, from inquiring as to someone’s emotional wellbeing to asking if they’ve hurt themselves.
By the end of this article, you’re sure to know what to say in almost every situation that requires an ‘are you ok / alright’!
By the way, if you’d like to find out all the many ways to say ‘ok’ in Spanish, then check out my magnum opus (just joking, but it IS a good article) on the topic.
So, without further ado, let’s get into it!
¿Estás bien? – Are you ok / alright?
‘Estás bien’ is the literal translation of the English ‘are you ok’.
The more grammar-savvy of you may already know that ‘estás’ is the second person singular of the verb ‘estar’ (which means ‘to be’) and that ‘bien’ means ´well´ (the adverb, not the hole dug to reach water!), so ‘¿Estás bien?’ literally translates to ‘Are you well?’.
As in English, ‘¿Estás bien?’ can be used in almost every situation … from asking a child if they’ve hurt themselves after falling off their bike to inquiring as to whether someone feels sick or down in the dumps.
Think of it as a sort of skeleton key when inquiring as to someone’s wellbeing in Spanish.
Let’s look at some examples –
Elena – Me asaltaron anoche en frente de la tiendita.
Paula – ¡No manches! ¿Estás bien?
Elena – I got robbed last night in front of the corner store.
Paula – No way! Are you ok?
Juan lleva todo el día tosiendo
María – ¿Estás bien, Juan? ¡No dejas de toser!
Juan – Sí, gracias. Como que está medio irritada mi garganta.
Juan’s been coughing all day
María – Are you ok, Juan? You’ve been coughing a lot!
Juan – Yes, thanks! It’s just that I’ve got a bit of tickly throat.
Don’t forget that the verb ‘estar’ needs to be conjugated according to the number of people you’re referring to, so ‘estás’ becomes ‘están’ if you’re referring to more than one person.
Similarly, if you’re using the more formal “usted” form, ‘está’ will be your conjugation of choice, the full phrase being ‘¿Está bien?’.
Here’s an example using the “usted” form –
Un hombre mayor se cae en la calle y un transeúnte le ayuda a levantarse
Transeúnte – ¿Está bien, señor?
Hombre mayor – Sí, muchas gracias.
An elderly man collapses in the street and a passerby helps him to get back up
Passerby – Are you ok?
Elderly man – Yes, thank you so much.
¿Todo bien? – All good?
This one’s an informal alternative to ‘¿Estás bien?’; it’s kinda like the English ‘All good?´.
So, in what situations might a ‘todo bien’ be more suitable than a full-blown ‘estás bien’ (and vice versa)?
Aside from being slightly more informal, ‘todo bien’ is best used when something unfortunate has happened to someone and they appear to have emerged relatively unscathed.
In this instance, ‘todo bien’ is used to double-check that the person in question is ok. It basically rolls off the tongue nicely and doesn’t sound overly dramatic!
Conversely, if it’s a very serious situation and the person actually looks like they’ve done themselves some damage, ‘estás bien’ is likely more appropriate than the more informal ‘todo bien’.
Let’s dive into the examples –
Marco se tropieza con algo y casi se cae
Erika – Jaja, ¿todo bien?
Marco – Sí, ¡casi me caigo!
Marco trips on something and almost falls over
Erika – Haha, all good?
Marco – Yeah, I almost wiped out!
Nacho está comiendo demasiado rápido y le da hipo
José Luis – ¿Todo bien, amigo?
Nacho – Sí, ¡hic! Creo que comí demasiado rápido.
Nacho is eating way too fast and gets hiccups
José Luis – Are you okay, man?
Nacho – Yes, hic! I think I ate too quickly.
‘Todo bien’ is also commonly used to ask someone if everything is ok with a situation –
Ramon – Pues, ya hablé con Camila …
Melina – ¿Y todo bien?
Ramon – Sí, ya hicimos las paces.
Melina – ¡Ándale!*
Ramon – So, I spoke to Camilla …
Melina – And is everything ok?
Ramon – Yes, we’ve already made up!
Melina – That’s good news.
Una pareja está teniendo una discusión bastante fuerte en la calle
Novio – Ya me hiciste enojar, te juro que te voy a …
Novia – ¿Me vas a qué?
Transeúnte – ¿Todo bien?
A couple is having a very loud argument in the street
Boyfriend – Now I’m really angry, I swear I´m going to …
Girlfriend – You’re going to what??
Passerby – Is everything ok?
*Erika´s note – make sure to check out our article on ‘ándale’ if you want to find out more about this most Mexican of words!
¿Todo chido? – Are you ok (informal)?
This is an even more informal alternative to ‘todo bien’!
In Mexican Spanish the ever popular ‘chido’ is used to mean ‘cool’ (of the “cool dude” variety, nothing to do with temperature), so ‘todo chido’ roughly translates to ‘you cool’.
This one can be used in pretty much the same way as ‘todo bien’, except that it’s wayyy more informal, dude. As such, it’s best used with your pals or in very informal situations.
Martín está surfeando y le cae encima una ola enorme
Isabella – ¿Todo chido?
Martín – Sí, wey, pero me revolcó un buen!
Martín is surfing and an enormous wave lands on him
Isabella – You cool?
Martín – Yeah, dude, but I went through the tumble drier!
¿Te encuentras bien? – Are you ok (emotionally)?
Bored of ‘estás bien’ and looking to mix things up a bit without sounding too informal?
Well, ‘te encuentras bien’ is the phrase for you! It’s a slightly more formal alternative to ‘estás bien’ and is normally used to refer to emotional wellbeing or if you find someone in a worrying / strange situation.
Hija – ¿Te encuentras bien, mamá? No has comido nada hoy.
Mamá – ¡Estoy bien, gracias! Es que me puse a dieta.
Daughter – Are you ok, mom? You haven’t eaten anything today.
Mom – I’m fine, thanks! I’m actually on a diet.
Una mujer está tirada en el suelo
Un buen samaritano – ¿Te encuentras bien?
Mujer – Sí, creo que me desmayé.
A woman is lying on the floor
A good Samaritan – Are you ok?
Woman – Yes, I think I must have fainted.
If you want to sound even more formal, the “usted” form can be used –
¿Se encuentra bien?
Are you ok?
¿Cómo te sientes? – How are you feeling?
This little gem of a phrase is used exclusively to inquire about someone’s health (both physically and emotionally).
If you’re feeling a little under the weather in a Spanish-speaking country, don’t be surprised if you’re asked ‘¿Cómo te sientes?‘!
As with the verb ‘estar’ in the phrase ‘estás bien’, ‘sentirse’ has to be conjugated according to who you’re referring to, so ‘how is he feeling’ translates to ‘cómo se siente’, etc.
Ana está en hospital reponiéndose de una enfermedad grave
Doctor – Buenos días, Ana. ¿Cómo te sientes el día de hoy?
Ana – Mucho mejor, gracias.
Ana is in hospital recovering from a serious illness
Doctor – Morning, Anna. How do you feel today?
Anna – Much better, thanks.
¿Te sientes bien? – Are you feeling ok?
‘¿Te sientes bien?’ also refers to physical and mental health but is normally used when something “unexpected” has occurred … maybe the person you’re conversing with suddenly turns deathly white or they say something out of character.
Let’s look at an example –
La familia Cárdenas está viajando en coche cuando de repente César se pone muy pálido
Mamá Cárdenas – ¿Te sientes bien, César?
César – Nada más un poco mareado mamá.
Hermana de César – Te ves súper pálido, ¡por fa no vayas a vomitar encima de mí!
Papá Cárdenas – Voy a bajar el vidrio.
The Cárdenas family is travelling by car when suddenly César turns deathly white
Mrs. Cardenas – Are you feeling ok, César?
César – It’s just a little bit of car sickness, mum.
César’s sister – You look white as a sheet, please don’t vomit all over me!
Mr. Cárdenas – I think I’m going to open the window.
¿Estás herido? – Are you hurt?
If you want to get straight to the point and ask someone if they’re hurt, then ‘estás herido’ is the phrase to plump for.
It literally translates to ‘are you hurt’ and is used in a similar way as its English equivalent (i.e., normally for more serious incidents).
Just remember that ‘herido’ is an adjective, so it needs to agree in gender and number with the noun its describing!
Los paramédicos llegan a la escena de un choque automovilístico
Paramédico – ¿Me escuchas? ¿Estás herido?
Conductor – Creo que estoy bien.
The paramedics arrive at the scene of a car crash
Paramedic – Can you hear me? Are you hurt?
Driver – I think I’m ok.
¿Te lastimaste? – Did you hurt yourself?
Last but most definitely not least, ‘te lastimaste’ is a nifty way to ask if someone hurt themselves in Spanish (it literally translates to ‘did you hurt yourself’).
This phrase is generally used for less serious incidents than ‘¿Estás herido?’ (think minor falls and accidents).
Óscar – Me pegué la cabeza en el techo en la mañana, ¡está bien bajito!
Margarita – ¿Y te lastimaste?
Óscar – Sí, tengo como un bulto aquí.
Óscar – I bumped my head on the ceiling this morning, it’s super low!
Margarita – And did you hurt yourself?
Óscar – Yeah, I have a bump just here.
You can also use the negative ‘¿No te lastimaste?’ when someone has had a nasty fall / wipe out and appears to have evaded injury –
Eduardo – Me caí en la regadera esta mañana.
Sofía – ¿Y no te lastimaste?
Eduardo – No, gracias a dios.
Eduardo – I slipped and fell in the shower this morning.
Sofía – And you didn’t hurt yourself?
Eduardo – No, thank God!
Final thoughts
With any luck, you’ll now be able to better react the next time you need to ask someone if they’re ok / alright in Spanish
Make sure to check out our article on all the different ways to say ‘sounds good‘ in Spanish if you’d like to up your game even further!
¡Hasta luego!