French words for kids · Greetings & manners
How to say “how are you?” in French
How are you? is the first real conversation kids can have in a new language: one question and a short answer they can say back.
How are you? in French
comment ça va ?
Sounds like ≈ koh-mah(n) sah VAH
Good to know: In everyday French, just ça va ? does the job, and the answer can be the same two words: ça va ! French puts a small space before ? and !.
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our French songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Comment ça va ?
How are you?
from Bonjour (Good Morning)
3 songs that teach it
“How are you?” is one of the key words in these songs. Every line is shown in French with its English meaning.
Bonjour
Good Morning · Greetings · Free
- bonjour · good morning
- comment ça va ? · how are you?
- très bien · very well
- merci · thank you
Salut, Comment Ça Va ?
Hi, How Are You? · Greetings · Free
- salut · hello
- comment ça va ? · how are you?
- bien · good
- jouons ! · let's play!
Salut, l'Ami
Hi, Friend · Greetings · Free
- ami · friend
- comment ça va ? · how are you?
- nom · name
- bien · good
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Ask comment ça va at pick-up time and accept any answer, in any language. The point is hearing the question every day.
- 2Give a teddy a voice and have it ask your child comment ça va, then swap roles.
- 3Pair it with feelings: ask comment ça va, then point at a happy or sad face drawing together.
Related French words
“How are you?” in other languages
Sing it in French, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Frenchhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using French songs with your family.