Phrases |
'Useful' phrases |
Idioms |
Tongue twisters |
Language-related proverbs
In most languages, this phrase is used more as a greeting or part of a greeting rather than as a enquiry about your health. The reply is often along the lines of "I'm well/fine, thank you, and you?"
frm = formal, inf = informal, v-inf = very informal, sg = singular (to one person), dl = dual (to two people), pl = plural (to two or more people), >m = said to men, >f = said to women
| Language | How are you? | Reply |
|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Hoe gaan dit met jou/u? (inf/frm) | Goed, dankie, en met jou/u? Baie goed dankie, en self? |
| Albanian | Si jeni? | Mirë |
| Alsatian | Wie geht's dir/Ihne? (inf/frm) | |
| Arabic (Egyptian) |
m/f/pl - (izayyak/izayyik/izayyuku) إزّيّك؟ m/f/pl - ('aamil/ 'amla/'amleen ey) عامل إيه؟ |
كويّس، الحمد
لله. وأنت؟ m/f - (kwayyis/a, al hamdulillah. wa inta/i) |
| Arabic (Modern Standard) | كيف حالك؟ (f. kayfa ḥālik / m. kayfa ḥālak) |
|
| Arabic (Moroccan) |
كيف حالك؟ (kīf halek) |
لاباءس
بارك الله فيك (labas, barak llāhū fīk) |
| Aragonese | Qué tal plantas? | |
| Arapaho | Kooni'ííni? | Nii'ííni |
| Armenian (Eastern) |
Ո՞նց ես (Vonts es?) - inf Ինչպե՞ս եք (Inchpes ek?) - frm |
Լավ, մերսի: Դո՞ւ: (lav, mersi. Du?) - inf Լավ եմ, շնորհակալություն: Դուք ինչպե՞ս եք: (Lav em, snorhakaloutyun. Duk inchpes ek?) - frm |
| Asturian | ¿Cómo ta? | Bonu (m) Bona (f) |
| Aymara | Kamisaraki? | Waliki |
| Azerbaijani | Necəsiz? Sən necəsən? Nə var? Nə yox? (inf) Siz necəsiniz? (frm) |
Sağ olun, yaxşıyam |
| Basque | Zer moduz? | Ondo, eskerrik asko |
| Belarusian | Як справы? (Jak spravy?) - inf Як маесься (Jak mayes'sia?) - inf Як маецеся (Jak mayeciesia?) - frm |
Добра, дзякуй (Dobra, dziakuj) |
| Belizian Creole (Kriol) | Wassup wid yu? | I staight mein |
| Bemba | Muli shani? | Ndi bwino |
| Bengali | (তুই) কেমন আছিস? ((tui) kêmon achhish?) v-inf sg (তোরা) কেমন আছিস? ((tora) kêmon achhish?) v-inf pl (তুমি) কেমন আছো? ((tumi) kêmon achho?) inf sg (তোমরা) কেমন আছো? ((tomra) kêmon achho?) inf pl (আপনি) কেমন আছেন? ((apni) kêmon achhen?) frm sg (আপনারা) কেমন আছেন? ((apnara) kêmon achhen?) frm pl |
আমি ভালো আছি। (ami bhalo achhi) sg আমরা ভালো আছি। (amra bhalo achhi) pl |
| Bhojpuri | तू ठीक हउआ न? (tuu thiik hauuva na?) |
मज़ा मेँ हई (maza mein haii) |
| Bislama | Olsem wanem? | Mi gud |
| Bosnian | Kako si? (inf) Kako ste? (frm) | Ja sam dobro, hvala. A vi? |
| Breton | Mat an traoù ganit? (inf) Mat an traoù ganeoc'h? (frm) |
Ya, mat-tre. Ha ganit? (inf) Ya, mat-tre. Ha ganeoc'h? (frm) |
| Bulgarian | Как си?
(Kak si?) - inf Как сте? (Kak ste?) - frm |
Аз съм добре,
благодаря. А Вие?
(Az sãm dobre, blagodarja. A Vie) Добре съм, благодаря. А Вие? (Dobre sãm, blagodarja. A Vie) |
| Catalan | Com estàs? (inf) Com està? (frm) |
Bé, gràcies, i tu? (inf) Bé, gràcies, i vostè? (frm) |
| Chamorro | Håfa tatamanu hao? (frm) Kao mamaolek ha' hao? (inf) | Mamaolek ha' yo' Todu maolek |
| Chechen | хьо муха ву ? (m) хьо муха ю ? (f) шу муха ду ? (pl) |
Со дика ву, баркалла. хьо муха ву? (m) Со дика ю, баркалла. хьо муха ю? (f) тхо дика ду, Баркалла. шу муха ду? (pl) |
| Cherokee | ᏙᎯᏧ? (dohitsu) | ᎣᏏᏧ, ᏂᎾ (osiju, nina?) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 你好嗎? (néih hóu ma) 點呀? (dím a) |
我幾好，你呢？ (ngóh géi hóu, néih ne) 好好 (hóu hóu) 幾好 (géi hóu) |
| Chinese (Hakka) | 爾好セ (ngi2 ho mo?) | 𠊎好 (ngai2 ho) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 你好嗎? [你好吗] (nǐ hǎo ma) |
我很好，你呢？ (wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne) |
| Chinese (Shanghainese) | 儂好伐? (non ho va) |
|
| Chinese (Taiwanese) | 你好嗎? (li2-ho2-bo0) |
be7-bai2 (not bad) to-sia2, gua2-tsin5-ho (thank you, I'm very well) |
| Chinese (Teochow) | 在生樣? 在生? (jai6 sen1 ion7, jai6 sen1) |
|
| Cimbrian | Bia steesto? (inf) Bia steet-ar? (frm) |
|
| Cornish | Fatla genes? | Yn poynt da, meur rasta. Ha ty? |
| Corsican | Cumu sè? (inf) Cumu sete? (frm) |
Bè |
| Croatian | Kako si? (inf) Kako ste? (frm) | Hvala, dobro. A vi? |
| Czech | Jak se máte? (frm) Jak se máš? (inf) |
Děkuji, dobře. A vy? Mám se dobře, děkuji Děkuju, dobře. A ty? Mám se dobře, děkuju |
| Danish | Hvordan har du det? (inf) Hvordan har De det? (frm) |
Fint, tak. Hvad med dig? |
| Dutch | Hoe gaat het met jou? Hoe gaat het? (inf) Hoe gaat het met u? (frm) |
Goed, dank je. En met jou? |
| Esperanto | Kiel vi fartas? | Tre bone, dankon. Kaj vi? |
| Estonian | Kuidas läheb? | Tänan, hästi. Ja teil? |
| Ewe | Efoa? | E, me efoa, wo ha efoa |
| Faroese | Hvussu gongur? Hvussu gongur tað? |
Mær gongst væl, takk, og tygum? (frm) Mær gongst væl, takk, og tær (inf) |
| Fijian | O sa lako ki vei? (lit. 'Where are you going?') |
|
| Finnish | Kuinka voit? (inf) Kuinka voitte? (frm) |
Mitä kuuluu? |
| French | Ça va? Comment ça va? Comment allez-vous? |
Ça va bien, merci. Et toi/vous? |
| Frisian (North) | Hü gungt de dåt? | Me gungt et gödj, foole tunk, än de? |
| Frisian (West) | Hoe giet it mei dy/jo? (inf/frm) | It is goed mei my, tige tank, en mei dy/jo? |
| Friulian | Cemût stastu? (inf) Cemût stajal? (frm) |
O stoi ben, graciis. E tu? (inf) O stoi ben, graciis. E vô? (frm) |
| Galician | ¿Que tal estás? / Como estás? (inf) ¿Que tal está? / Como está? (frm) |
Moi ben, grazas |
| Georigan | როგორა ხარ? (rogora khar) | კარგად ვარ (kargad var) |
| German | Wie gehts? Wie geht es dir/Ihnen? (inf/frm) |
Mir geht es gut, danke, und dir/Ihnen? |
| Greek | Πώς είστε; (pos íste?) – frm Πώς είσαι; (pos íse?) – inf Τι κάνετε; (ti kánete?) – frm Τι κάνεις; (ti kánis?) – inf |
Καλά (είμαι), σας ευχαριστώ. Εσείς; (kalá [íme], sas efharistó. Esís?) – frm Καλά (είμαι), ευχαριστώ. Εσύ; (kalá [íme], efharistó. Esí?) – inf |
| Greenlandic | Qanoq ippit? Qanorippit? Ajunngilatit? Ajunngi? | Luarit |
| Guarani | Mba'éichapa reiko? | Aiko porã |
| Gujarati | કેમ છો (kem cho?) | સારુન (sārun) |
| Haitian Creole | Kouman ou ye? | N'ap boule! |
| Hawaiian | Pehea ʻoe? (sg) Pehea ʻolua? (dl) Pehea ʻoukou? (pl) |
Maikaʻi, a ʻo ʻoe? |
| Hebrew | >m (ma shlomxa)
מה שלומך?
>f (ma shlomex)
מה שלומך? (ma xadash) מה חדש? (ma nishma) מה נשמע? |
טוב, תודה. ואתה / אתם? (tov, toda. veata? / atem?) |
| Hindi | आप कैसे हैं? (Āp kaise haiṁ?) - frm, >m आप कैसी हैं? (Āp kaisī haiṁ?) - frm, >f तुम कैसे हो? (Tum kaise ho) - inf, >m तुम कैसी हो? (Tum kaisi ho) - inf, >f |
मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद। और आप? (Maiṁ ṭhīk hūṁ, dhanyavād. Aur āp?) - frm मैं ठीक हूँ, धन्यवाद। और तुम? (Maiṁ ṭhīk hūṁ, dhanyavād. Aur tum?) - inf |
| Hmong | Koj puas nyob zoo? Koj nyob li cas? | Kuv nyob zoo |
| Hopi | Um waynuma? | Owí |
| Hungarian | Hogy vagy? (inf) Hogy van? (frm) | Köszönöm, jól. És Ön? |
| Icelandic | Hvað segir þú? Hvernig hefur þú það? | Allt gott, Allt fínt, Allt ágætt ,Bara fínt |
| Ilocano | Kumusta ka? | |
| Indonesian | Apa kabar? | Baik-baik saja, terima kasih. Bagaimana dengan Anda? |
| Inuktitut | ᖃᓄᐃᐱᑦ (Qanuitpin/Qanuippit?) |
ᖃᓄᐃᓐᖏ (Qaniungi) ᖃᓄᐃᖑᑦᑐᖓ (Qanuinngittunga) |
| Iñupiaq | Qanuq itpich? Qanuġitpich? | Nakuuyunga / Nakuuruŋa, taikkuu |
| Irish (Gaelic) | Conas atá tú? (Munster) Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú? (Connacht) Cad é mar atá tú? (Ulster) Conas atá cursaí? (An bhfuil) aon scéal (agat)? An bhfuil tú go maith? |
(Tá mé) go maith/breá, go raibh maith agat, agus tú fein? |
| Italian | Come va?
Come stai? (inf) Come sta? (frm) |
Bene grazie. E tu? (inf) Bene grazie. E lei? (frm) |
| Japanese | お元気ですか？ (o genki desu ka) |
はい、元気です。あなたは？ (hai, genki desu. anata wa?) お蔭様で元気です (o kagesama de genki desu) |
| Jèrriais | Coumme est qu'ous êtes? (frm/pl) Coumme est qu' tu'es? (inf) Comment va? (vinf) |
Jé sis d'charme, mèrcie, et té/vos? |
| Jutish (North) | Hvordan gaat det? | |
| Kalmyk | Кыдзі оланныд? (Kydzî olannyd?) |
Бура (Bura) |
| Kashubian | Jak sã mosz? | |
| Kazakh | Қалыңыз қалай? (Qalıñız qalay?) | Қалым жақсы (Qalım jaqsı) |
| Klallam | sx̣ʷaʔ níŋ’ cx̕ʷ | |
| Kongo | Wena matimpi? | Inga |
| Konkani | तु कषि अस्सा? (tu kaši assa?) | हाव समा अस्सा। (hāv sama assa) |
| Korean | 어떻게 지내세요? (eotteohke jinaeseyo?) 안녕하십니까? (annyeong hasimnikka?) |
잘지내요 (jaljinaeyo) |
| !Kung San | !Ka tseya? (>m) !Ka tsiya? (>f) | |
| Ladino | קומו איסטאס? (¿Komo estás?) |
ביין גראסיאס, אי טו? (Bien grasias, ¿i tú?) |
| Lakota | Doe ksh kay ya oun hey? | Waste |
| Lao | ສະບາຍດີບ (sába̖ai-di̖i baw?) | ສະບາຍດີ (sábaai-di̖i) |
| Latin | Quid agis? (sg) Quid agitis? (pl) | Valeo (sg) Valemus (pl) |
| Latvian | Kā jums klājas? (frm) Kā tev iet? (inf) |
Paldies, labi. Un jums? |
| Lithuanian | Kaip sekasi? Kaip tau sekasi? | Ačiu, gerai. O Jums? |
| Luxembourgish | Wéi geet et dir? (inf) Wéi geet et Iech? (frm) | Gutt |
| Macedonian | Како си?
(Kako si?) - inf Како сте? (Kako ste?) - frm |
Добро сум,
благодарам (Dobro sum, blagodaram) |
| Malay | Apa khabar? | Khabar baik, terima kasih. Awak pula bagaimana? |
| Malayalam | എങ്ങനെ ഇരിക്കുന്നു? (engngane irikkunnu?) - frm ചോറുണ്ടോ? (chōrruṇṭō?) - inf എങ്ങനുണ്ട് (engnganuṇṭ?) - inf സുഖാമളെ? (sukhamalle?) |
കുഴപ്പം ഇല്ല (kuzhappam illa) - frm സുഖമായിട്ട് ഇരിക്കുന്നു (sukhamaayiṭṭ irikkunnu) - frm ഉണ്ട് (uṇṭ) / ഹും (hum) - inf സുഖം ഥാണെ (sukham thanne) |
| Maltese | Kif int? (inf) Kif intom? (frm) | Tajjeb (m) Tajba (f), grazzi. U inti? |
| Mandinka | I be nyaadi? | |
| Manx | Kys t'ou? Kanys ta shiu? (frm/pl) |
Feer vie, gura mie ayd, as oo hene? Braew, gura mie eu, as shiu hene? |
| Māori | Kei te pēhea koe? | Kei te pai |
| Mauritian Creole | Ki manyèr? | |
| Mayan | Biix a beel? | |
| Monegasque | Cuma stai? (inf) Cuma stè? (frm) |
|
| Mongolian | Сонин сайхан юу байна вэ?
(Sonin sainan yu baina ve?) Юу байна вэ? (Yu baina ve?) |
Сайн та сайн байн уу (Sain ta sain bain uu) |
| Mordvin | Кода эрятадо? (Koda êrǎtado?) |
Парсте (Parste) |
| Nepali | तपाईंलाई/तिमीलाई कस्तो छ? (tapaaii/timi lai kasto cha?) |
मलाइ सन्चै छ । तपाईलाई नि? (sanchai cha. tapaaiilaaii ni?) |
| Norwegian | Hvordan har du det? Hvordan går det med Deg? |
(Jo) takk bare bra. Og du? Jo takk, bare bra. Og med Deg? |
| Occitan | Va plan?
Cossí va? Cossí vas? Cossí anatz? Qué de nòu? (What's new?) |
Va plan, mercés. E tu? (inf) E vos? (frm/pl) Aital aital. Sens mai. Cal far anar (so-so) Tot es vièlh (amai s'esquiça)! |
| Ossetian | Куыд дӕ стут? (Kuyd dæ stut?) |
Тынг дзӕбӕх (Tyng dzæbæh) |
| Persian | حال شما چطور است؟ (hale shoma chetor ast?) (haletun chetore?) حالتون چطوره؟ (halet chetore?) حالت چطوره؟ |
من خوبم ممنون، شما چطوريد؟ (man khubam mamnun, shoma chetorid?) |
| Polish | Jak się Pan(i) miewa? (frm) Jak się masz (inf) |
Bardzo dobrze, dziękuję. A Pan(i)? (inf) |
| Portuguese | Como está? Como vai? Como está indo? Como estamos? Tudo bem? Tudo certo? Beleza? E aí? (v-inf) |
Bem obrigado/a. E você/tu? Tudo bem (obridado/a). E você? Tudo certo (obrigado/a). E você? Tudo beleza (inf) Tudo jóia. (inf) |
| Romanian | Ce mai faci? (inf) Ce mai faceţi? (frm) |
Bine, mulţumesc. Şi dumneavoastră? |
| Romany | Sar šan? | Mišto |
| Rundi | Amaki? | Ameza |
| Russian | Как дела?
(Kak dela) - inf Как поживаешь (Kak požyivaješ) - inf Как поживаете (Kak požyvajete) - frm |
Спасибо,
хорошо. А у вас? (Spasiba, horošo. A u vas?) |
| Sardinian | Coment'istate? (frm) Coment'istas? (inf) |
Bene |
| Scots | Hows it goan? Hou are ye? Hou's aw wi ye? Hou's it gaun? Fit like? Fit loch en? Whit wey are ye? |
A'm braw, thenk ye, an' ye? |
| Scottish Gaelic | Ciamar a tha thu/sibh? Dè mar a tha thu/sibh? |
Tha gu math, tapadh leat/leibh. Ciamar a tha thu/sibh-fhein? |
| Serbian | Како си?
(Kako si?) - inf Како сте? (Kako ste?) - frm Како сте Ви? (Kako ste Vi?) - frm |
Добро сам, хвала. А ти?
(Dobro sam, hvala. A ti?) - inf Добро сам, хвала. Како сте Ви? (Dobro sam, hvala. Kako ste Vi?) - frm |
| Sesotho | O phela joang? (sg) Le phela joang? (pl) |
Ke phela hantle (sg) Re phela hantle(pl) |
| Shona | Wakadini zvako? (sg) Makadini zvenyu? (pl) |
Ndiri rayiti / Ndiripo |
| Slovak | Ako sa máš? (inf) Ako sa mate? (frm) |
Ďkujem, dobre. A vy/ty? |
| Slovenian | Kako se imaš? (inf) Kako se imate? (frm) |
Dobro, hvala, in ti? (inf) Dobro, hvala, in vi? (frm) |
| Somali | Bal ka waran? | Ficaan |
| Sorbian | Kak so tebi dze? (inf) Kak so wam dze? (frm) |
|
| Spanish | ¿Cómo está usted? (frm) ¿Cómo estás? (inf) |
Bien gracias, ¿y usted? (frm) Bien gracias, ¿y tú? (inf) |
| Sundanese | Kumaha kabarna? | Pangesto |
| Swahili | Habari yako? Habari gani? | Mzuri |
| Swazi | Kunjani? | Kulungile |
| Swedish | Hur står det till? Hur mår du? (inf) Hur är det? (frm) |
Bara bra tack. Och du? |
| Tagalog | Kumusta po kayo? (frm) Kumusta ka? (inf) |
Mabuti po naman (frm) Mabuti naman (inf) |
| Tamil | எப்படி இருக்கீங்க? (eppadi irukeenga?) |
நல்லா இருக்கின்றேன் (nallaa irukkenren) |
| Telugu | నువ్వు ఎట్లా వున్నావు? (nuvvu eṭlā vunnāvu?) - sg మీరు ఎట్లా వున్నారు? (meeru eṭlā vunnāru?) - pl |
బాగానే వున్నాను, నువ్వు బాగున్నావా? (bāgānē vunnānu, nuvvu bāgunnāvā?) బాగానే వున్నాము, మీరు బాగున్నారా? (bāgānē vunnāmu, meeru bāgunnārā?) |
| Thai | เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง (bpen yung-ngai bâhng?) |
สบายดีคร้บ(ค่ะ) (sa-bai dee krúp (kâ)) |
| Tonga | Mwapona buti? | Kabotu |
| Tswana | O tsogile jang? | Ke tsogile |
| Turkish | Nasılsınız? (frm) Nasılsın? (inf) |
İyiyim teşekkür ederim,
siz nasılsınız (frm) İyiyim sağol, sen nasılsın (inf) |
| Ukrainian | Як ся маєте? (Jak sia majete?) |
Дякую, добре. А ви? (Djakuju, dobre. A vy?) |
| Urdu | m (ap kaisi hain)
آپ کیسی ہيں؟ f (ap kaise hain) آپ کيسے ہيں؟ |
میں ٹھیک ہوں، شکریہ! اور آپ؟ (main thīk hun, shukriya! aur āp?) |
| Uzbek | Ishlaringiz yaxshimi? Ahvolingiz qalay? |
Rahmat, yaxshi |
| Venda | Ku njhani? | |
| Vepsian | Kut elät? | Hüvin |
| Vietnamese | (Anh/Chị) khỏe không? | Khoẻ, cám ơn. Bạn thì sao? |
| Walloon | Comint vos dalez? | |
| Welsh | Shwmae? Sut mae? (inf) Sut ydych chi? (frm) |
Da iawn, diolch. A tithau? (inf) Da iawn, diolch. A chithau? (frm) |
| Xhosa | Unjani? (sg) Kunjani? (pl) | Ndiphilile |
| Yiddish | (Vi geyt es?) װי גײט עס? (Vos makhstu?) װאָס מאַכסטו? |
עס גײט גוט, אַ דאַנק! (Es geyt gut, a dank!) |
| Yorùbá | ̣Se daadaa ni o wa? | Mo wa daadaa, o ̣se. Iwọ naa n kọ? |
| Zulu | Unjani? (sg) Ninjani? (pl) |
Ngikhona, ngiyabonga. Wena unjani? (sg) Sikhona, siyabonga. Nina ninjani? (pl) |
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contact me. If you can provide audio recordings
of any of these phrases, please send them to
You can send me audio files in any format. If you don't know how to make recordings on a computer, you can send me recordings on audio cassette. Let me know if you want to do this and I'll send you my snailmail address. Or you can call me on Skype (omniglot) and I'll do the recording.
How to say "How are you?" in many languages
http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/hay.htm
List of common phrases in various languages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_phrases_in_different_languages
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