What is the literal translation of "¿Cómo es?"

Question

What is '¿Cómo es?' in English?

¡Gracias, amigos!

Answer 1

"¿Cómo es?" can be used to ask for something / somebody 's characteristics and to ask for instructions too. It's Spanish for "What is it like?" and "How is it done?" Not to confuse with ¿"Cómo está?", used for salutation! I hope this answer can help!

Correct - Gekkosan, Apr 14, 2011

Wow thank you for teaching me something new seijaku :) I didn't realize that this expression: "¿Cómo es?" is used to ask for instructions - FELIZ77, Apr 17, 2011

Answer 2

The real meaning is: What is it like? What are you (ud) like? What is he like? or What is she like?

It is not asking how a person is feeling because the verb estar is used for asking this eg ¿Cómo está Ud? but is enquiring about the person's physical appearance and characteristics.

.....so the correct kind of reply to ¿Cómo es? could be:

El es alto = He is tall

o Ella es estudiosa = or She is studious

o Ud es amable = or You are kind

Literal translations are not always an accurate way of understanding a phrase as many words and phrases are idioms and as such cannot be translated directly.

I hope this helps

I am sorry, Feliz "¿Cómo es?" never means "how are you". That'd be "como está(s)". - Gekkosan, Apr 14, 2011

Gekko I have not worded mine as well as Qfreed but if you read the first line of Qfreeds you will se what I am saying is the same as Quentin :) - FELIZ77, Apr 14, 2011

I have removed that part to avoid confusion but I was in essence saying the same as Quentin in his first line - FELIZ77, Apr 14, 2011

Ok, I get it - sorry. I always find it extremely confusing that English speakers are unable to distinguis between "sar" and "estar". :-) - Gekkosan, Apr 14, 2011

That's okay Gekko... Don't worry ::) THanks anyway for the apology :) - FELIZ77, Apr 17, 2011

Answer 3

Q, Feliz, and Seijaku's anwers are correct. There is an idiomatic use of "¿Cómo es?" just like that, in some of the Caribbean countries, meaning "How's that?"

Eg: "Me dijeron que la gasolina va a aumentar a $2 por litro" - "¿Cómo es!?"

"I was told that the price of gas will go up to $2 per liter" - "How's that (again)?"

Answer 4

Literally, it is How is/are you/he/she/it?,

but to distinguish it from ¿Cómo está [usted/él/ella/ello]?

you translate it to convey the difference between Ser and Estar.

It means What is/are he/she/ it/you like? Are you tall, fat, intelligent, interesting? (pesonality traits, physical characteristic, etc.)

Answer 5

Another use is similar to the English "How is it that ...?" / "How come ...?" e.g.

¿Cómo es que has vivido en Texas por treinta años y no hablas inglés? = "How can it be (How come), though/although you've lived in Texas for thirty years, you don't speak English?"