If you only learn two words in French, take my advice and go with “ça va”. While it literally means “it goes” or “it’s going”, I’ve come to realize that it can be used in countless situations and the simple modification of the tone of your voice is enough to change the entire meaning of the phrase.
If you’re feeling good…“ça va”. If you’re just feeling okay…“ça va”. If you’re not really feeling good…“ça va”. If you’re mad “ça va”. To change the meaning, just change your tone and your expression.
Over the course of today alone, I used “ça va” to respond that (1) I was doing well, (2) I wasn’t hungry, (3) my workload was manageable, (4) the weather was okay, (5) my lunch tasted good and (6) I had enough room on a crowded bus.
And it serves as both a question and a statement…
Person 1: “Ça va ?"
Person 2: “Ça va. Et toi ?”
Person 1: “Ça va.”
I can’t tell you how many times I hear this exchange every day at work or on the street. Sure there are different iterations as well as additional words spliced in here and there, but it’s amazing how many conversations revolve around such a simple little phrase. If you just learn “ça va”, you’ll be able to cover a lot of bases.
If you’re feeling good…“ça va”. If you’re just feeling okay…“ça va”. If you’re not really feeling good…“ça va”. If you’re mad “ça va”. To change the meaning, just change your tone and your expression.
Over the course of today alone, I used “ça va” to respond that (1) I was doing well, (2) I wasn’t hungry, (3) my workload was manageable, (4) the weather was okay, (5) my lunch tasted good and (6) I had enough room on a crowded bus.
And it serves as both a question and a statement…
Person 1: “Ça va ?"
Person 2: “Ça va. Et toi ?”
Person 1: “Ça va.”
I can’t tell you how many times I hear this exchange every day at work or on the street. Sure there are different iterations as well as additional words spliced in here and there, but it’s amazing how many conversations revolve around such a simple little phrase. If you just learn “ça va”, you’ll be able to cover a lot of bases.
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