здраво, како си?
zdravo, kako si?[ˈzdravɔ ˈkakɔ si]word by word
здраво, како си? (zdravo, kako si?) is the Macedonian way to say "hello, how are you?"
This phrase is a common greeting used to initiate a conversation and inquire about a person's well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The greeting begins with здраво, which literally means "healthy" or "well", used here as a standard way to say "hello".
Which one should you use?
The singular, informal version of the question is како си?, whereas the plural or formal version is како сте?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes from како си? to како сте? when you are addressing more than one person or when you are using the formal "you" to show respect to a single person.
How do you pronounce it?
zdravo, kako si?
Did you know?
- Macedonians may respond to како си? with еве ме, which literally means 'here I am' rather than 'I am fine'.
- The word како is a direct descendant of the Proto-Slavic root *kako, meaning 'how'. This connects the modern Macedonian question to ancient linguistic structures used thousands of years ago.
- In casual settings, Macedonians often shorten the greeting and simply say како? when asking 'how are you' or 'what is up'.
Examples in context
- Здраво, како сте? Јас сум одлично, благодарам!Hello, how are you? I am great, thank you!
- Здраво, како си?Zdravo, kako si?Hello, how are you?
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (здраво, како, си) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries како, CC BY-SA 4.0.
