آپ کیسے ہیں؟
Aap kaise hain?
How are you doing? In Urdu is said as آپ کیسے ہیں؟ (Aap kaise hain?).
This phrase is a common greeting used to ask someone about their current well-being or general state of life.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase آپ کیسے ہیں؟ is composed of Aap (you, formal), kaise (how) and hain (are).
Which one should you use?
While آپ کیسے ہیں؟ is the standard polite form, the variation آپ کیسے ہو؟ is common in semi-formal or casual settings. For a more informal approach, you can use تم کیسے ہو؟ with friends or younger people or کیسے ہو؟ generally.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a woman, change the masculine adjective kaise to the feminine kaisi to form آپ کیسی ہیں؟. Additionally, the informal phrase کیسی ہو؟ is used specifically when addressing a female friend or family member informally.
How do you pronounce it?
Aap kaise hain?
When do people say it?
A common response to this greeting is میں ٹھیک ہوں۔, which means 'I am fine'.
Did you know?
- The word 'aap' shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'breath', as both relate to the ancient Proto-Indo-European roots for 'spirit' or 'life force'.
- When responding to آپ کیسے ہیں؟, it is customary to thank God by adding الحمدللہ (Alhamdulillah) before saying 'I am fine'.
- While آپ کیسے ہیں؟ is the standard, many speakers use the Persian-influenced کیا حال ہے؟ to ask about someone's current state.
Examples in context
- آپ کیسے ہیں؟aap kaise hain?How are you doing?
- میں ٹھیک ہوں، آپ کیسے ہیں؟mein theek hoon, aap kaise hain?I am fine, how are you doing?
- سب ٹھیک ہے، آپ کیسے ہیں؟sab theek hai, aap kaise hain?Everything is fine, how are you doing?
Example conversation
Zainab and Ali meet at a cafe.
- زینب Zainabسلام علی، آپ کیسے ہیں؟salaam Ali, aap kaise hain?Hello Ali, how are you doing?
- علی Aliمیں بالکل ٹھیک ہوں، شکریہ۔mein bilkul theek hoon, shukriya.I am perfectly fine, thank you.
- زینب Zainabآپ کی صحت کیسی ہے؟aap ki sehat kaisi hai?How is your health?
- علی Aliمیری صحت بہت اچھی ہے۔meri sehat bohat achi hai.My health is very good.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries آپ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
