ته ښه يې؟
tə x̌ə ye?
The phrase "are you okay?" in Pashto is translated as ته ښه يې؟ (tə x̌ə ye?).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase ته ښه يې؟ is composed of ته meaning "you", ښه meaning "good/well" and يې meaning "are".
Which one should you use?
While ته ښه يې؟ is a complete sentence, in casual spoken Pashto, the pronoun ته is often dropped, leaving just ښه يې؟.
How do you pronounce it?
tə x̌ə ye?
When do people say it?
A common response to this question is ښه يم (I am well).
Did you know?
- The pronoun ته shares the same ancient Proto-Indo-European root as the English word 'thou', which was once the standard way to say 'you' in English.
- If you are speaking to a person of high status or an elder, you should not use ته ښه يې؟, but instead use the plural form تاسو ښه ياست؟ to show respect.
- Pashto uses a Subject-Object-Verb order, which is why the verb يې ('are') comes at the very end of the phrase ته ښه يې؟.
Examples in context
- ته ښه يې؟ta kha ye?Are you okay?
- ډېره مننه، زه ښه يم، خو ته ښه يې؟dera manana, za kha yam, kho ta kha ye?Thank you very much, I am fine, but are you okay?
Example conversation
Maryam dropped her books and Omar checks on her.
- عمر Omarمریم، ته ښه يې؟Maryam, ta kha ye?Maryam, are you okay?
- مریم Maryamهو، زه ښه يم، مننه.ho, za kha yam, manana.Yes, I am fine, thank you.
- عمر Omarښه ده، په دقت کار کوه.kha da, pa diqat kar kawa.That's good, work with care.
- مریم Maryamمننه عمر، زه به پام کوم.manana Omar, za ba pam kawam.Thank you Omar, I will be careful.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ته, ښه, CC BY-SA 4.0.
