kumusta
In Bisaya, hello is kumusta.
Kumusta is an informal greeting that means How are you? Other ways to greet someone based on the time of day include Maayong Buntag for "Good morning" (used during the morning hours until around noon), Maayong Hapon for "Good afternoon" and Maayong Gabii for "Good evening".
Meaning: greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
kumusta is a loanword from the Spanish cómo está and literally means "how are you".
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the phrase with a single person, you can add the pronoun ka (you) to make it kumusta ka.
When do people say it?
A common response to the greeting kumusta is maayo (good).
Did you know?
- While kumusta is the standard greeting, Bisaya speakers often use the phrase asa ka padulong which means 'where are you going' as a way to say 'hello'.
- In many rural areas, a greeting like kumusta is often accompanied by a slight nod or a smile rather than a handshake, which can be seen as too formal for daily encounters.
- In the Philippines, the greeting kumusta is shared across multiple languages including Tagalog, showing the widespread influence of Spanish colonial administration on daily social interaction.
Examples in context
- Kumusta ka na?How are you?
- Kumusta na ang tanan?How is everything?
Example conversation
Jose meets Maria at a local market.
- JoseKumusta, Maria!Hello, Maria!
- MariaAy, kumusta man, Jose?Oh, hello, Jose!
- JoseMaayo man, salamat.I am fine, thank you.
- MariaMaayo diay kung ingon niana.That is good to hear.
