sar san?
The English phrase "how are you?" is expressed in Romani as sar san?
This is a common greeting used to ask someone about their current well-being.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of sar (how) and san (you are).
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, san is the second-person singular present indicative of the verb "to be".
When do people say it?
A common way to respond to this greeting is to say Mishto (Good) followed by a return question, such as Mishto, thaj sar san tu? (Good and how are you?).
Did you know?
- Due to centuries of migration, the phrase sar san? may be interspersed with loanwords from Romanian, Hungarian or Spanish depending on where the speaker's ancestors settled.
- The word sar in sar san? shares a common ancestor with the Sanskrit word saratram meaning 'how'.
- If you ask sar san? in a Romani community, the response often focuses on your 'luck' rather than your feelings. It is more common to be asked about one's fortune or health than a general state of being.
Example conversation
Stefan and Zora meet on the street.
- StefanSar san, Zora?How are you, Zora?
- ZoraKamav, Stefan. Tu sar san?I am well, Stefan. How are you?
- StefanSar san, mure phral, te san sastipé.I am fine, my friend, I hope you are healthy.
- ZoraSastipe!Health!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
