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I spoke with a friend that I haven't spoken to in a long time. He started with a question about a test he is having. After I answered the question, I wanted to ask him:

"How have you been anyway?"

As in, 'On another topic, how have you been?'

  • What's the best way to translate anyway in this context?
  • Would the best translation for 'anyway' be 'de todos modos'?

I know there are some other ways to say 'anyway' but wasn't sure of the best translation in this situation.

  • Also, are there more natural ways to ask this question as apposed to a direct translation, ie. an idiomatic expression or something?
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3 Answers 3

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More naturally to me would be:

  • Por cierto, ¿cómo has estado?

But you can also use:

  • Cambiando de tema, ¿cómo has estado? (for some people this could be rude because it is like saying "Ok enough with that and now let's talk about...")
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    Thanks, I think 'Cambiando de tema' might be a little too direct for the situation. I think this is a time where an idiom works best, so I like 'por cierto' better
    – Kage
    Feb 17, 2012 at 0:29
  • I like "¿Cómo has estado?, Replace" (Replace with):'sin embargo'; 'a pesar de todo'; 'cambiando de tema', etc. Remember the comma is also used to change the natural order of elements in the phrase, so you could use the replacement at the begining, e.g., "Hablando de otra cosa, ¿Cómo has estado?"
    – David
    Oct 30, 2019 at 15:34
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The word "anyway" can be a bit tricky to translate correctly since it can have several meanings in English. (Wiktionary defines 3 modern meanings.)

In the way you're looking to use it, I believe a good translation might be "bueno y..." which is roughly the same as "well, and..." It provides a nice and clean spirited topic transition.

Example:

Bueno, y entonces ¿cómo has estado? Escuché que encontraste un nuevo trabajo.

(Well, and so how have you been? I heard you found a new job.)

Hope this helps.

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    Thanks, that actually sounds much better than what I had come up with and I think it gives the same message as the english example.
    – Kage
    Feb 17, 2012 at 0:30
  • No, there must be some special word for it, I'm almost sure I heard it! I just have it on the tongue but can't remember...!
    – Tomas
    Feb 17, 2012 at 16:52
  • And what about "nada ... "? Or "igualmente...."? Note that I'm not a native speaker...
    – Tomas
    Feb 17, 2012 at 16:55
  • Although I think bueno sounds best, pues has its uses, too.
    – tchrist
    Feb 27, 2012 at 3:28
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In this context, it would be:

Oye, y a todo esto, ¿cómo has estado?

Which makes things easier in changing the topic without being rude.

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