What Does "Está Bien" Mean?

Quick Answer

está bien= OK, all right, fine

You'll hear está bien all the time in Spanish, because it can be used in so many different ways:

to express agreement or acceptance
to express that someone or something is alright
to ask whether someone or something is alright

Expressing Agreement or Acceptance

Está bien is commonly used as a way to let someone know that you've heard what they said and agree or accept it.

examples
Me estacioné en frente de tu casa. - Está bien. I parked in front of your house. - OK.
Creo que vamos a ir al restaurante italiano. ¿Qué te parece? - Está bien. I think we're going to the Italian restaurant. What do you think? - All right.

Expressing That Someone or Something is Alright

Está bien is also a common reply when asking how someone or something is doing.

He's OK. / He's fine.
She's OK. / She's fine.
It's OK. / It's fine.
You're OK. / You're fine. (formal)

examples
¿Cómo está tu papá? - Está bien. How's your dad? - He's fine.
¿Cómo está tu mamá? - Está bien. How's your mom? - She's OK.
¿Cómo está la ensalada? - Está bien. How's the salad? - It's fine.
Señor, se cayó y lo llevamos de regreso a su casa. Está bien. Sir, you fell and we brought you back home. You're OK.

Want to learn more ways to ask and respond to questions about how you're doing? Check out these articles!

• Greetings in Spanish

• What Does "¿Qué Pasa?" Mean

• Responses to "¿Qué Pasa"?

• What Does "¿Cómo Está Usted?" Mean

• Responses to "¿Cómo Estás?"

• How to Say "Good Morning" and "Good Night" in Spanish

Asking Whether Someone or Something is Alright

Depending on intonation (if spoken) or punctuation (if written), this phrase can also be a question: ¿Está bien? In this case it can mean the following:

examples
Hace tiempo que no hablo con tu papá. ¿Está bien? It's been a while since I talked to your dad. Is he OK?
Hace tiempo que no hablo con tu mamá. ¿Está bien? It's been a while since I talked to your mom. Is she OK?
¿Cómo está el clima? ¿Está bien? How's the weather? Is it OK?
Señor, se desmayó. ¿Está bien? Sir, you fainted. Are you OK?