ciamar a tha thu?
/ˈkʲʰimaɾ ə ha u/word by word
In Gaelic, 'how are you?' is said as ciamar a tha thu?
Ciamar a tha thu? is a common greeting used to ask someone about their well-being.
Which one should you use?
Ciamar a tha thu? is the singular, informal form used when speaking to one person. In contrast, ciamar a tha sibh? is used when addressing more than one person or when using the formal/polite second person.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Ciamar a tha thu? is used in the Ulster region.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use ciamar a tha sibh? instead of ciamar a tha thu? when addressing more than one person or when using the formal/polite second person.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkʲʰimaɾ ə ha u/
When do people say it?
A common response to ciamar a tha thu? is Tha mi gu math, which means 'I am well'.
Did you know?
- In some Gaelic communities, asking Ciamar a tha thu? is not just a greeting but the start of a long social exchange where a simple 'I am well' would be seen as too brief.
- The word ciamar is actually a 'triple-decker' word, formed by the contraction of three separate elements: 'cia', 'e', and 'mar'.
- When responding to the question, the phrase Tha mi gu math uses the word 'math' to indicate well-being, which is a cognate to the English 'good'.
Example conversation
Two friends meet on the street.
- HamishHalo, a Mairead! Ciamar a tha thu?Hello, Mairead! How are you?
- MaireadTha mi gu math, a Hamish. Agus thu?I am well, Hamish. And you?
- HamishTha mi gu math cuideachd.I am well also.
- MaireadTha sin math!That is good!
