مرحبا، كيفك؟
marḥaba, kīfak?everyday, to a man
The everyday Lebanese way is مرحبا، كيفك؟ (marḥaba, kīfak?). To a woman say كيفِك (kīfik) in the same place. أهلين، شو أخبارك؟ (ahlēn, shū akhbārak?) is a friendly alternative. It is also called هلا، شو الأخبار؟ (halla, shū l-akhbār?).
Meaning: greeting with a question about well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Lebanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| مرحبا، كيفك؟ | marḥaba, kīfak? | everyday, to a man |
| هلا، شو الأخبار؟ | halla, shū l-akhbār? | casual |
| أهلين، شو أخبارك؟ | ahlēn, shū akhbārak? | friendly |
كيفك (kīfak) comes from كيف حالك (kīf ḥālak), "how is your state". It is the normal question for friends and colleagues.
Is it said differently in some regions?
A typical answer is منيح، الحمدلله، وإنت؟ (mnīḥ, el-ḥamdella, w inte?).
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending shows who you ask: -ak for a man, -ik for a woman and -kon for a group, as in كيفكن (kīfkon).
Did you know?
- The question word شو (shū) for "what" is typical of Lebanese and other Levantine Arabic, where standard Arabic would say ما.
Examples in context
- مرحبا، كيفك اليوم؟marḥaba, kīfak el-yōm?Hello, how are you today?
- أهلين، شو أخبارك؟ahlēn, shū akhbārak?Hello, what is your news?
Example conversation
Wael meets his old classmate Hind at a bus stop in Beirut.
- Waelمرحبا هند، كيفك؟marḥaba Hind, kīfik?Hello Hind, how are you?
- Hindأهلين وائل، منيحة، وإنت؟ahlēn Wāʾel, mnīḥa, w inte?Hello Wael, I am good, and you?
- Waelمنيح، الحمدللهmnīḥ, el-ḥamdellaGood, thank God.
