नमस्ते, कथम् अस्ति?
namaste, katham asti?
The English phrase "hello how are you" is translated into Sanskrit as नमस्ते, कथम् अस्ति? (namaste, katham asti?)
This phrase is a common greeting used to initiate a conversation and inquire about a person's well-being.
How does it change in a sentence?
The component कथम् अस्ति? uses a third-person singular verb. This functions as an impersonal way to ask "how is it going?" rather than addressing a specific person's personhood directly.
How do you pronounce it?
namaste, katham asti?
When do people say it?
The gesture of joining palms together at the heart level when greeting with Namaste is called anjali mudra.
Did you know?
- The word अस्ति is a cognate with the Latin word 'est', the Greek 'estí', and the English 'is'.
- In ancient Sanskrit texts, नमस्ते was often used not just as a greeting but as a formal expression of surrender or humility before a deity or teacher.
- While कथम् अस्ति? asks how things are, Sanskrit has a separate word for 'well-being' called कुशलम्, which is often used as a one-word response to mean 'I am well'.
Example conversation
Ananya and Aditya meet at a library.
- आदित्य Adityaनमस्ते, कथम् अस्ति?namaste, katham asti?Hello, how are you?
- अनन्या Ananyaनमस्ते! अहं कुशलिनी अस्मि।namaste! ahaṃ kuśalinī asmi.Hello! I am doing well.
- आदित्य Adityaश्रुत्वा प्रसन्नता जाता।śrutvā prasannatā jātā.I am glad to hear that.
- अनन्या Ananyaधन्यवादः, आदित्य।dhanyavādaḥ, āditya.Thank you, Aditya.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries अस्ति, कथम्, नमस्ते, CC BY-SA 4.0.
