كيف حالكِ؟
kayfa ḥāluki?to a woman, polite
To ask a woman "how are you" politely in Arabic, say كيف حالكِ؟ (kayfa ḥāluki?). Common dialect forms are كيفكِ؟ (kīfik?) in the Levant and شلونج؟ (shlōnich?) in Kuwait and parts of the Gulf.
Meaning: question asking about a woman's well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كيف حالكِ؟ | kayfa ḥāluki? | to a woman, polite |
| كيفكِ؟ | kīfik? | to a woman, Levantine |
| شلونج؟ | shlōnich? | to a woman, Gulf and Iraqi |
Before an answer, people often reply الحمد لله (al-ḥamdu lillāh), "thank God", and then ask back: وأنتِ؟ (wa anti?), "and you?"
How does it change in a sentence?
The final -كِ (-ki) addresses a woman. A man would be asked كيف حالك؟ (kayfa ḥāluk?).
Did you know?
- The Levantine كيفك (kīfik) comes from كيف حالك (kayfa ḥāluk), with the word حال (ḥāl) "state" dropped.
Examples in context
- كيف حالكِ يا سارة؟kayfa ḥāluki yā Sāra?How are you, Sara?
- كيفك اليوم؟kīfik al-yawm?How are you today?
Example conversation
Jamal meets his neighbor Mrs. Amal in the lift of his building in Beirut.
- Jamalصباح الخير يا خالة أمل، كيفك؟Ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā khāla Amal, kīfik?Good morning Auntie Amal, how are you?
- Amalالحمد لله، وإنت؟Al-ḥamdu lillāh, w inte?Fine, thank God, and you?
- Jamalتمام، الحمد لله.Tamām, al-ḥamdu lillāh.Good, thank God.
