Use Como estás? for a casual singular How are you? in European Portuguese.
Use Como está? as a polite option in a more formal greeting, and Tudo bem? is also common in friendly greetings.
The conversations below are original teaching examples, with English translations. Suggested replies are options to adapt to your relationship.
The main choices and when they fit
For a straightforward How are you?, the clearest contrast here is Como estás? with someone you address casually and Como está? in a more formal greeting. The source contrasts friendly greetings with a teacher and uses those two patterns for that difference in treatment.
Also recognize Tudo bem?. It can work as a friendly check-in, even though it is not the same wording as How are you? If someone writes Tudo bem?, read it as a normal greeting question, not as a request for a detailed health report.
Register matters here. Como estás? suits friends and other clearly informal situations. Como está? is a useful polite form, but it is not a complete rule for every formal situation in Portugal, so avoid turning it into a blanket formula for all respectful address.
A friend starts a casual chat
Illustrative conversation
THEMOlá! Como estás?
Hi! How are you?
YOUEstou bem, obrigado. E tu?
I'm well, thank you. And you?
THEMTambém estou bem.
I'm well too.
This exchange shows Como estás? as an informal greeting between equals. A good reply answers briefly and can return the question with E tu? in a casual context. The point is not to produce a long update, but to match the friendly, everyday function of the greeting.
You are not doing great
Mais ou menos. Estou cansado hoje.
So-so. I'm tired today.
Use this when you want to answer honestly but keep the tone natural and brief.
You want to keep it very short
Bem, obrigado!
Good, thank you!
This works when you want a simple answer without extending the exchange.
In many cases, the best response is short: Estou bem, Tudo bem, or Mais ou menos. You can then add a return question if the relationship is casual. If the greeting is more formal, a brief answer is often enough on its own.
A useful mistake to avoid: do not assume that formal European Portuguese must use você everywhere. This page does not make that claim, and learners should be careful about treating E você? as the default follow-up in Portugal. If you are unsure, a short answer without the pronoun is safer than forcing a pattern you do not control.
Another mistake is choosing Como está? with everyone by default. That can sound too distant in an obviously friendly exchange. Match the form to the relationship rather than treating formality as automatically better.
A more formal greeting
Illustrative conversation
THEMBom dia. Como está?
Good morning. How are you?
YOUEstou bem, obrigado.
I'm well, thank you.
THEMAinda bem.
Glad to hear it.
Here the useful lesson is restraint. In a formal exchange, a concise reply is enough; you do not need to force an informal return question. This helps you stay polite without guessing at a more complex address pattern.
Add a polite good wish
Estou bem, obrigado. Espero que esteja bem também.
I'm well, thank you. I hope you are well too.
This acknowledges the greeting and offers a good wish without choosing an explicit form of address.
You are not well
Mais ou menos, mas obrigado.
So-so, but thank you.
This gives a truthful answer while keeping the tone courteous and controlled.
These expressions are for greeting or checking in. They are less suitable when you actually need specific information. If you want to ask about health after an illness, or ask how a meeting went, a more precise question is better than repeating a general greeting formula.
They are also not interchangeable with farewells. If the conversation is ending, use a goodbye expression instead of another Como estás?-type question. The source groups greetings and farewells separately, which helps keep their functions clear.
If you receive only Tudo bem?, do not overread it. It usually invites a simple response and continuation, not a deep emotional interpretation.
Yes, especially in a friendly greeting. It is not the exact same wording, but it works as a common casual check-in and is useful to recognize and answer.
Is Como está? the only polite option in European Portuguese?
No. It is a useful polite form supported by the source's formal contrast, but it should not be treated as the only possible formal pattern in Portugal.
