kiel vi fartas?

How Are You?

Level 1

Ask kiel vi fartas and answer with fartas and a word like bone.

How It Works

SayMeaning
Kiel vi fartas?How are you?
Mi fartas bone.I am fine.
Mi fartas tre bone.I am very well.
Ne tre bone.Not very well.
Kaj vi?And you?

Kiel means how, and fartas is the verb for how your health or mood is going. The answer uses bone, a word in -e, because it describes the verb fartas.

Tre makes the answer stronger: tre bone is very well. Ne tre bone is a polite way to say that things are not going well.

After you answer, send the question back with Kaj vi?

Examples (4)

  1. Saluton, Kenji! Kiel vi fartas?

    Hello, Kenji! How are you?

    Kiel vi fartas? is the standard question.

  2. Mi fartas bone, dankon. Kaj vi?

    I am fine, thank you. And you?

    Bone describes the verb fartas; Kaj vi? hands the question back.

  3. Mi fartas tre bone!

    I am very well!

    Tre strengthens bone.

  4. Ne tre bone, sed mi ĝojas vidi vin.

    Not very well, but I am glad to see you.

    Ne tre bone is a gentle way to say things are not good.

Common Mistakes

  • Using estas where Esperanto says fartas.

    Kiel vi estas?
    Kiel vi fartas?

    Esperanto asks about health with the verb farti. Kiel vi estas? copies the wording of other languages, and people say Kiel vi fartas? instead.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kiel vi fartas?Level 1How Are You?

Learn This First

Asking how someone is comes right after a greeting and uses a present verb.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.