નમસ્તે, તમે કેમ છો?
namaste, tame kem chho?
To say "hello how are you" in Gujarati, use નમસ્તે, તમે કેમ છો? (namaste, tame kem chho?)
This phrase is a common greeting used to say hello and ask about someone's well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The part તમે કેમ છો? literally breaks down to "you how are?"
Which one should you use?
The form તમે કેમ છો? uses the honorific second-person pronoun, making it suitable for elders, strangers or groups. In contrast, you can use the singular/informal તું કેમ છે? when speaking to a close friend or someone younger.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the polite or plural form, use તમે કેમ છો? If you are speaking to a close friend or someone younger, you may use the informal version તું કેમ છે?
How do you pronounce it?
namaste, tame kem chho?
When do people say it?
A common response to તમે કેમ છો? is હું મજામાં છું, which literally means 'I am in fun/joy'.
Did you know?
- In some regions, people may omit the 'how are you' part and simply ask શું ચાલે છે?, which literally means 'what is walking?' to mean 'what's up'.
- The word નમસ્તે is not just a greeting but a Sanskrit-derived term that translates to 'I bow to you', where 'namas' means 'bow' and 'te' means 'to you'.
- While નમસ્તે is understood, many Gujarati speakers prefer જય શ્રી કૃષ્ણ or નમસ્કાર depending on their community or religious background.
Examples in context
- નમસ્તે, તમે કેમ છો? બધું બરાબર છે?namaste, tame kem cho? badhu barabar che?Hello, how are you? Is everything okay?
- નમસ્તે, તમે કેમ છો? ઘણા સમય પછી મળ્યા!namaste, tame kem cho? ghana samay pachhi malya!Hello, how are you? It's been a long time!
Example conversation
Two acquaintances meet on the street.
- આર્યન Aryanનમસ્તે, તમે કેમ છો?Namaste, tame kem cho?Hello, how are you?
- અંજલિ Anjaliહું મજામાં છું, અને તમે?Hu majama chu, ane tame?I am fine, and you?
- આર્યન Aryanહું પણ બહુ સારો છું.Hu pan bahu saro chu.I am also very well.
- અંજલિ Anjaliતમને મળીને આનંદ થયો.Tamne maline anand thayo.Nice to meet you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries છો, તમે, નમસ્તે, CC BY-SA 4.0.
