ሰላም እንደምን ነህ?
selam indemn neh?
To say hi, how are you? In Amharic to a man, say ሰላም እንደምን ነህ? (selam indemn neh?).
This is a friendly everyday greeting that says hello and asks how someone is doing in one breath. ሰላም on its own is the most common simple hello.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means peace, how are you? ሰላም (selam) means peace and is used as hello and እንደምን ነህ? asks how are you.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending changes with the person you address. ሰላም እንደምን ነህ? is for one man. For one woman, say ሰላም እንደምን ነሽ?
How do you pronounce it?
It is read selam indemn neh?
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use ሰላም እንደምን ነህ? for a woman or for a group, since it is masculine singular. For a woman use ሰላም እንደምን ነሽ?
When do people say it?
A common reply is ደህና ነኝ።, which means I am well. You can also simply say ሰላም back as a warm hello.
Did you know?
- Amharic has an extremely complex system of honorifics, meaning that እንደምን ነህ? would be considered impolite if spoken to an elder or a superior, who require a specialized formal form.
- The word ሰላም is a cognate of the Arabic word 'salam' and the Hebrew word 'shalom', all deriving from a root meaning 'peace'.
- In Ethiopia, greeting others is a lengthy social ritual. It is common to ask እንደምን ነህ? multiple times and inquire about a person's health, family and work before starting a main conversation.
Example conversation
Two friends meeting on the street.
- ኤልያስ Eliasሰላም እንደምን ነህ?Selam endemine neh?Hi, how are you?
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemሰላም! እኔ ደህና ነኝ።Selam! Ene dehna negn.Hi! I am fine.
- ኤልያስ Eliasደስ ብሎኛል።Des bilognal.I am glad.
- ቤተልሔም Betelhemአንተስ እንዴት ነህ?Antes endet neh?And how are you?
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ሰላም, CC BY-SA 4.0.
