Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Qué tal? Mal, estoy enfermo.

¿Qué tal? is a very common fixed phrase used to ask How are you? or How are things?. You don't need a verb here, though you could add one and say ¿Qué tal estás?.

Why use estoy instead of soy for "I am"?

In Spanish, there are two verbs for "to be": ser and estar. You use estar (like its "I" form, estoy) for temporary states such as feelings and health. Since being sick is temporary, you use estoy.

Does enfermo change if a woman is speaking?

Yes! Describing words (adjectives) in Spanish change their ending to match the gender of the person they describe. A man says estoy enfermo, but a woman changes the ending to an -a and says estoy enferma.

Why does the translation say "Not well" instead of "Bad" for mal?

While mal literally means "bad" or "badly", when answering a greeting like ¿Qué tal?, it translates more naturally to "not well" in English. It is the direct opposite of answering bien (well).

Where is the word for "I" before estoy?