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Italian Phrase

Volevo sapere come va.

/voˈle.vo saˈpe.re ˈko.me ˈva/
Meaning"I wanted to know how it goes."
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Meaning

The speaker is politely expressing curiosity about the current state of something or someone’s well‑being, using the past tense ‘volevo’ to make the question sound less abrupt.

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When to use

Use this phrase in casual or semi‑formal conversations when you want to follow up on a project, a friend’s health, or any situation you haven’t asked about yet. It works well both in person and in written messages like emails or chats.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Volevosaperecomeva

1

Volevo (imperfetto di volere)

‘Volevo’ is the imperfect of ‘volere’ and softens a request, translating to ‘I wanted’ rather than a direct ‘I want’.

2

Sapere (infinitivo)

The infinitive ‘sapere’ follows ‘volere’ to form ‘volevo sapere’ – ‘I wanted to know’.

3

Come va

A colloquial way to ask ‘how is it going?’; literally ‘how goes’ and uses the present tense of ‘andare’.

4

Word order

In Italian the infinitive follows the verb of desire, and the subordinate clause ‘come va’ comes after the infinitive.

🗨In Conversation

A

Ciao Luca, volevo sapere come va il tuo nuovo corso di fotografia.

Hey Luca, I wanted to know how your new photography course is going.

Grazie! Sta andando molto bene, sto già preparando la mia prima mostra.

Thanks! It’s going very well, I’m already preparing my first exhibition.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Voglio sapere come va.

    Using the present ‘voglio’ sounds too direct; ‘volevo’ softens the request.

  • Volevo sapere come è.

    ‘Come è’ is not idiomatic for asking how something is going; use ‘come va’.

  • Sapere come va.

    Missing the verb of desire; you need ‘volevo’ (or ‘vorrei’) before ‘sapere’.

↔Alternatives

  • Vorrei sapere come va.

    I would like to know how it goes.

  • Mi chiedevo come stesse.

    I was wondering how you were.

  • Come va?

    How’s it going?

it

Cultural Tip

In Italy ‘come va?’ is a common informal greeting, similar to ‘what’s up?’ Adding ‘volevo sapere’ makes the question sound more considerate and slightly more formal, which is useful when you’re checking in on a colleague, a client, or a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while.