నమస్కారం, మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు?
namaskāram, mīru elā unnāru?
In Telugu, "hello how are you" is expressed as నమస్కారం, మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు? (namaskāram, mīru elā unnāru?)
This phrase is a polite greeting used to initiate a conversation and inquire about a person's well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of namaskāram (salutation/respectful greeting), mīru (you – formal/plural), elā (how) and unnāru (are/exist).
Which one should you use?
The version మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు? uses mīru (you) and the verb ending -āru to denote respect, making it suitable for elders, strangers or formal settings. In contrast, when speaking to close friends or younger people, you can use the informal నువ్వు ఎలా ఉన్నావు?
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes based on the level of respect required: the formal/polite form మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు? shifts to the informal నువ్వు ఎలా ఉన్నావు? when addressing someone with less formality.
How do you pronounce it?
namaskāram, mīru elā unnāru?
When do people say it?
A common response to this greeting is నేను బాగున్నాను, ధన్యవాదాలు, which means "I am fine, thank you".
Did you know?
- When saying నమస్కారం, it is customary to join the palms of the hands together in front of the chest and slightly bow the head.
- The word namaskāram does not just mean 'hello', but literally translates to a 'salutation' or 'bowing' action, derived from the Sanskrit roots for 'namas' (reverence) and 'karam' (doing).
- To be truly casual, Telugu speakers often swap the literal 'how are you' for the phrase ఏంటి సంగతులు?, which asks 'what are the matters?'
Examples in context
- నమస్కారం, మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు? నేను బాగున్నాను.namaskāram, mīru elā unnāru? nēnu bāgunnānu.Hello, how are you? I am fine.
Example conversation
Pallavi meets Sai at a local park.
- పల్లవి Pallaviనమస్కారం, మీరు ఎలా ఉన్నారు?namaskāram, mīru elā unnāru?Hello, how are you?
- సాయి Saiనేను బాగున్నాను, ధన్యవాదాలు.nēnu bāgunnānu, dhanyavādālu.I am fine, thank you.
- పల్లవి Pallaviమీ ఆరోగ్యం ఎలా ఉంది?mī ārōgyam elā undi?How is your health?
- సాయి Saiఅంతా బాగుంది.antā bāgundi.Everything is good.
