P1: Hola.
P2: Hola. ¿Cómo estás?
P1: Estoy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?
P2: Estoy muy bien.
Let's break this down. "Hola" means "hello." I don't think we really need to explain further than that.
"Cómo" means "how." There are many question words in Spanish, so try not to forget the meaning of cómo. The question words can get a little confusing just as they are in English. Don't forget there is an accent on the first syllable.
If you have noticed that two of the words (estás and estoy) look similar, that's because it is the same verb used in two different forms. The verb "estar" means "to be", so the question being asked is: How are you? When we use verbs in different tenses to indicate the person/thing it is being addressed to, we call it conjugation. Without even knowing it, we use this all the time in English.
Ex:
I am, you are, he/she/it is
The conjugation of estar is as follows:
This may seem difficult at first, but don't worry about it now. We will practice this plenty of times in the future. *Note I left out the "vosotros" form because it is only used in Spain. "Vosotros" means the same thing as "ustedes" and is very easy to learn once you learn the conjugation rules. You can learn it on your own if you wish. It is also used in the video listed below. You can watch it for more practice with the conjugation of estar.
As you have probably decoded already, "estoy" means "I am". Bien means well, and "gracias" means "thank you." So the response is: I am well, thank you. How come he doesn't say "Yo estoy muy bien?" It is already inferred that he is referring to himself because of the conjugation of the verb, so most Spanish speakers don't say I, he, she, we, them, etc, unless more identification is needed.
How in the world are you supposed to pronounce "y." It is the Spanish word for "and," and it is actually pretty easy to say. It is the "e" sound in we, she, or be.
If you look at the chart above, you'll notice that "tú" is the familiar form of "you." It is what you would call a friend. If you put the two words together, you will come up with the question: And you?
The response is pretty much the same, but wait, what is that strange "muy" smack dab in the middle of things. If you guessed it means "very," then congratulations you are correct.
And there we have it. The conversation completely broken down. To go over it in English:
P1: Hello.
P2: Hello. How are you?
P1: I'm well, thank you. And you?
P2: I'm very well.
I hope this was helpful and that you will continue learning. To challenge yourself one last time, try translating this by yourself. The answer will be in the next lesson.
P1: Hello. How are you?
P2: I'm very well. How is Susana?
P1: She is well, thank you.
