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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/fr-comment-allez-vous

How do you politely ask an adult 'How are you?' in French?

Comment allez-vous ? is the polite how are you.

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  1. Comment vous appelez-vous ?
  2. Où allez-vous ?
  3. Comment allez-vous ? ✔

Why: Comment allez-vous uses vous, so it is polite with adults you don't know well. Où allez-vous means where are you going, and the first one asks someone's name.

Huh, didn't know that: With friends, the casual version is 'Ça va ?', and the answer can be just 'Ça va !'

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How is the French bakery doing? Great, it is making a lot of dough.
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References

Answer: Comment allez-vous ?. Comment allez-vous uses vous, so it is polite with adults you don't know well. Où allez-vous means where are you going, and the first one asks someone's name.

  1. Larousse French-English: comment www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/comment
    comment allez-vous ? how are you ? comment va ? (familier) how's things ?
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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