how is this circle?

Question

I would like to know if this sentence is correct:

how is this circle?

Should it be "what is this circle like"?

Or "what is this doll like"? instead of "how is this doll?".

Answer 1

"What is this doll/circle like" is fine.

"How is this doll/circle" does NOT work. You could say "How does this doll work?" or "How round is this circle?".

Answer 2

You would only use "how is this circle/doll" as part of a question such as "How is this circle/doll in terms of size?"

You would say "How big is this circle?" - lorenzo9, Jan 26, 2010

Answer 3

Then, in this situation it would have another different meaning: ¿cómo está este círculo?. I mean, is it well done?

How has the same meaning that it usually does when used like this, namely is something good or bad (or something similar.) It's just that circles don't normally have a "how" aspect. How has other meanings, but they don't apply to the cases mentioned so far in this thread as they would require a longer sentence.

Answer 4

The situations in which you could say "How is this circle?" are rather limited. The only one I can think of off hand is if you were learning how to draw circles in an art class.

Then, in this situation it would have another different meaning: ¿cómo está este círculo?. I mean, is it well done?

Answer 5

The situations in which you could say "How is this circle?" are rather limited. The only one I can think of off hand is if you were learning how to draw circles in an art class.