எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?
Eppadi irukkireergal?
எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்? (Eppadi irukkireergal?) is the Tamil way to say "how are you doing?"
This phrase is a common greeting used to ask someone about their current well-being or general state of life. You can also use the formal expression உங்கள் நலம் எப்படி? to specifically ask "How is your well-being?" in a formal context.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of eppadi (how) and irukkireergal (are you [formal/plural]).
Which one should you use?
The polite or formal way to ask is எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்? For friendly or informal conversations, you might use எப்படி இருக்கின்றாய்? or எப்படி இருக்கிறாய்?
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்? is the polite or formal way to ask how someone is doing, making it suitable for speaking to elders or strangers. In contrast, எப்படி இருக்கிறாய்? is used when speaking to someone younger or of equal social standing in an informal setting.
How does it change in a sentence?
The singular, informal version of the phrase is எப்படி இருக்காய்?
How do you pronounce it?
Eppadi irukkireergal?
When do people say it?
A common response to this greeting is நல்லா இருக்கேன் (Nalla irukken), which means "I am doing well".
Did you know?
- In many Tamil households, it is common to ask சாப்டீங்களா? (Have you eaten?) as a primary way of asking how someone is doing. This functions as a greeting of care and well-being rather than a literal question about hunger.
- The word எப்படி (eppadi) literally translates to 'in what manner' or 'according to what way', because it combines an interrogative prefix with the word படி (padi) meaning 'according to'.
- While எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்? is grammatically correct, speakers in Tamil Nadu often drop the final consonants in speech. You will frequently hear it shortened to எப்படி இருக்கீங்க? (Eppadi irukkinga?) in daily conversation.
Example conversation
Priya and Santhosh meet at a professional conference.
- பிரியா Priyaசந்தோஷ், எப்படி இருக்கிறீர்கள்?Santhosh, eppadi irukkireergal?Santhosh, how are you doing?
- சந்தோஷ் Santhoshநான் நன்றாக இருக்கிறேன், பிரியா.Naan nandraaga irukkiren, Priya.I am doing well, Priya.
- பிரியா Priyaகேள்வி கேட்டதற்கு நன்றி.Kelvi kettadharku nandri.Thank you for asking.
- சந்தோஷ் Santhoshஉங்களை பார்த்ததில் மகிழ்ச்சி.Ungalai paarthadhil magizhchi.It is a pleasure to see you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries எப்படி, CC BY-SA 4.0.
