Please translate your native language's version of the English "How are you?"

1. 88

   Billie Kelpinposted 9 years ago

   Please translate your native language's version of the English "How are you?"
   
   I always pass a couple from South Korea on my walk and today I asked them how to say "How are you?" in Korean.  I think I understood the man who is in his 60s or 70s to say that there are various ways and after and during the war, the phrase was "Are you at peace?" or "Did you eat?"  As English monolingual (unilingual?) speakers we always assume that our phrases are "universal".  I was fascinated and saddened to hear that sometimes the phrase "Did you eat?" was a greeting. If your native language is other than English, what are versions of that phrase translated to English

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2. 71

   Thief12posted 9 years ago

   "How are you?" in Spanish...
   
   "Como estas?"
   
   ...or "Como te sientes?", although that one is literally "How do you feel?"

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      Billie Kelpinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Aw, I was WONDERING about that.  Thanks Thief12.  I actually wonder what the English origin of "How ARE you?" actually is.  The English IMPLIES "How do you feel," but doesn't ask it as the Spanish does.  Interesting! 

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3. 94

   Kylyssaposted 9 years ago

   "Ni je ezh bmadzeyen?" means "How are you living?" in Pottawatomie.
   
   "Ni je na?" means "How are you?"
   
   "Gbekte ne?" is a fairly common greeting which means "Are you hungry?" or "Could you eat?" which shouldn't be cause for you to feel sad because it's more in the line of an invitation to eat. Maybe it's not that common, just something grandmas of all sorts say a lot.

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      KatyWhoWaitedposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I LOVE "how are you living" Interesting "Are you hungry?" Thanks Kylyssa.  (I thought I had already answered this.  Sorry it's so late.)

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4. 94

   Paul Kuehnposted 9 years ago

   Chinese Mandarin and Taiwanese are almost like native languages for me.  In Mandarin you say, "Ni hao ma" or "Ni hao."  In Taiwanese you would say, "Li ho bo?"

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      KatyWhoWaitedposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Paul, thanks.  How lucky you are to have those languages almost native to you!  Actually I lived across the street from a Chinese Laundry and Mary Lee was my best friend.  I totally recognize "Ni hao ma".  But how does that translate per word?

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