কেমন আছেন?
Kemon achen?
How are you? In Bengali is কেমন আছেন? (Kemon achen?)
This phrase is a polite greeting used to ask someone about their well-being. Depending on the context, you may also use আপনি কেমন আছেন? for a formal 'How are you?' or আপনার স্বাস্থ্য কেমন চলছে? to specifically ask 'How is your health?' in a formal manner. If you want to ask how someone is feeling, you can use কেমন লাগছে?
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into কেমন (kemon), meaning 'how' and আছেন (achen), which is the verb 'to be' in a polite form.
Which one should you use?
কেমন আছেন? is the formal version of the greeting, whereas কেমন আছো? is the informal version.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
কেমন আছেন? is a polite and formal way to address elders, strangers or people in formal settings to show respect. For friends, peers or people younger than you, you should use the informal কেমন আছো? There is also a colloquial way to ask the question: কেমন আছিস?
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb আছেন (achen) used in the default form কেমন আছেন? is the honorific or polite conjugation of the verb 'to be'.
How do you pronounce it?
Kemon achen?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you how you are, a common response is ভালো আছি।, which means 'I am well'.
Did you know?
- A common cultural response to কেমন আছেন? is to mention God, saying আপনার আশীর্বাদে ভালো আছি meaning 'I am well by your grace/blessing'.
- Bengali has a 'non-person' or 'very formal' register that goes even beyond আপনি (apni), used historically for royalty or deities, which changes the verb ending of আছেন further.
- While কেমন আছেন? asks about well-being, Bengalis often use the word খবর (khobor), meaning 'news', to ask 'what is the news?' as a more casual way to check in on someone.
Examples in context
- আমি খুব ভাল আছি। তুমি কেমন আছো?I am very well. How are you?
- আপনি কেমন আছেন?apni kemon achen?How are you?
- দাদা, আপনি কেমন আছেন?dada, apni kemon achen?Brother, how are you?
- সবাই কেমন আছেন?sobai kemon achen?How is everyone?
Example conversation
Ananya meets Akash on the street.
- আকাশ Akashআকাশ, আপনি কেমন আছেন?akash, apni kemon achen?Akash, how are you?
- তানিয়া Taniaআমি ভালো আছি, ধন্যবাদ।ami bhalo achi, dhonnobad.I am well, thank you.
- আকাশ Akashআপনার দিনটি কেমন কাটছে?apnar dinti kemon katche?How is your day going?
- তানিয়া Taniaখুব ভালো কাটছে।khub bhalo katche.It is going very well.
