Que Tal - (Not in Mexico??)

Question

I have a Mexican worker here. He states that Que tal is NOT a way to say 1. How are you?, How is everything? • Hola Jaime. ¿Qué tal? as I have read on this website.

Does this only apply to perhaps certain countries?

Answer 1

"¿Qué tal?" is so very common in Mexico that it is not really thought of as slang any more where "¿Qué onda?" still is. Both are perfectly acceptable, but "¿Qué onda?" isn't usually used by the "establishment types."

• Haha, I never heard 'qué onda' till I came on SpanishDict. I looked it up. - margaretbl Sep 7, 2010

Answer 2

At least in Spain ¿Qué tal? is maybe the most common way for asking how are you?.

Maybe there it's more common ¿Qué onda? or something else, but ¿Qué tal? is perfectly correct.

Answer 3

What part of Mexico, what age is your friend, what level of society? A high school kid from Atlanta might think "Wassup?" is acceptable while a CEO from New York would not.

I have some Mexican acquaintances that are quick to correct me if I say something wrong. They've never said anything when I've used "¿Que tal?" with them.

• Oaxaca, he's about 27 or so (I don't think he can read) - RachelC Sep 7, 2010

Answer 4

What would be the equivalent in English for Que Tal?

• Just 'how's it going' and also 'how about...' in the case of for example: qué tal vamos al parque - how about we go to the park - margaretbl Sep 9, 2010

Answer 5

In Spain, ¿qué tal? is "how are you?" and "how is everything?".

And also,

"¿qué tal (te parece) ir al cine?" = "what about going to the cinema?"

Answer 6

I agree with Julian but I must admit that most of the "non-establishment types" that I used to hang out with never ever said "¿Qué tal?" and did seem to think that that was a stuffy, odd way greet someone. I can see how a 27 yr old Oaxacan might not be accustomed to hearing it. I've always just said "¿Cómo estás?" or "¿Qué pasa?" or, maybe, "¿Qué onda?" depending entirely on who I'm speaking to or possibly even the equally informal "¿Quihúbole?"

• People from Oaxaca = Oaxaqueños - --Mariana-- Sep 7, 2010
• thanks, Marianne - alba3 Oct 1, 2010
• In English, I have always used Oaxacan, should we use the language we are writing in, or the language of the nationality, in which case I need to change all my "Mexicans" to "Mexicanos"? - Stadt Oct 1, 2010

Answer 7

Spanish from Spain and Mexico is very different, what it is acceptable in one place might not be in the other. I am from Spain and I had to learn Mexican when I came to the US with all the Mexicans I know here. "Spanish" that I had never heard before...