מה שלומך
ma shlomékhto a woman
To ask a girl or woman "how are you" in Hebrew, say מה שלומך (ma shlomékh). The ending -ך is pronounced -ekh for a woman, and מה נשמע (ma nishmá) works for anyone. It is also called איך את (eikh át).
Meaning: greeting asking about well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Hebrew | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| מה שלומך | ma shlomékh | to a woman |
| מה נשמע | ma nishmá | neutral |
| איך את | eikh át | to a woman, casual |
A common reply is אני בסדר, תודה (ani beséder, todá), "I am fine, thank you". This reply is the same for any speaker.
Which one should you use?
מה נשמע (ma nishmá), literally "what is heard", is the most common casual question and does not depend on gender.
How does it change in a sentence?
The written form of שלומך is the same for a man or woman, but the sound differs. To a man it is shlomkhá and to a woman it is shlomékh. איך את (eikh át) uses את (át), "you" for a woman, and the man's form is אתה (atá).
Did you know?
- The Hebrew word שלום (shalóm) is the root of שלומך, so the question literally asks about your peace and well-being.
Examples in context
- שלום דנה, מה שלומך.Shalóm Dana, ma shlomékh.Hello Dana, how are you.
- היי נועה, מה נשמע.Hey Noa, ma nishmá.Hi Noa, how are you.
- אני בסדר, תודה.Ani beséder, todá.I am fine, thank you.
Example conversation
Dan runs into his colleague Yael in the hallway of their office in Tel Aviv.
- Danשלום יעל, מה שלומך.Shalóm Yaél, ma shlomékh.Hello Yael, how are you.
- Yaelאני בסדר, תודה. ומה שלומך.Ani beséder, todá. Uma shlomkhá.I am fine, thank you. And how are you.
- Danגם אני בסדר.Gam aní beséder.I am also fine.
