Italian · Greetings & Essentials

"What's up?" in Italian: come va?

come va?

Say it: KOH-meh vahphrase/ˈko.me va/

What's up in Italian is come va? Casual how's it going. Reply bene, non c'è male, or così così. Come stai? is closer to how are you.

Street bump

Ehi! Come va?
Hey! What's up?
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How to pronounce come va?

Say it

KOH-meh vah

/ˈko.me va/

Come va: KOH-meh vah. Stress KOH.

"What's up?" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
come va?how's it going? / what's up?

Default casual.

come stai?how are you?

Slightly more personal.

tutto bene?all good?

Quick check.

come va la vita?how's life?

Warmer.

How to use come va? in real life

  1. 1Street bump

    Ehi! Come va?

    Hey! What's up?

    Greeting.

  2. 2Text open

    Ciao Marco, come va?

    Hi Marco, how's it going?

    Message.

  3. 3After a hard week

    Allora, come va dopo gli esami?

    So, how's it going after the exams?

    Follow-up.

Mistakes English speakers make with come va?

Incorrect: Come vai?

Correct: Come va? / Come stai?

Set greeting is come va or come stai, not come vai.

Incorrect: Cosa è su?

Correct: Come va?

Don't translate what's up word-for-word.

Good to know

Come va? is the light Italian equivalent of what's up—heard in courtyards and chats. A short bene, grazie is enough; long complaints wait for come stai davvero? Kiss greetings may follow among friends.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Running into a classmate on the tram

  1. ChatPal

    Ciao! Come va?

    Hi! What's up?

  2. You

    Benee tu, come va?

    Good—and you, how's it going?

  3. ChatPal

    Così così, ma sopravvivo.

    So-so, but I'm surviving.

  4. You

    Un caffè dopo lezione?

    A coffee after class?

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"What's up?" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "What's up?" in Italian

What's up?

Come va?

How are you?

Come stai?

Reply?

Bene / non c'è male / così così.

Formal?

Come sta?

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