आप कैसे हैं?
The English phrase "how are you?" is translated into Hindi as आप कैसे हैं?
Common responses include Main achha hoon, meaning "I am good" and Main theek hoon, meaning "I am fine".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase आप कैसे हैं? breaks down as follows: आप means "you" (formal), कैसे means "how" and हैं is the formal or plural form of the verb "to be" (is/are).
How does it change in a sentence?
In formal addresses, the adjective changes based on gender: when addressing a female formally, the adjective changes from कैसे (kaise) to कैसी (kaisi).
When do people say it?
A common response to "how are you?" is मैं ठीक हूँ (Main theek hoon), which means "I am fine".
Did you know?
- The formal word for 'you' आप is a distant relative of the English word 'breath'. Both originate from a Proto-Indo-European root referring to the spirit or the act of breathing.
- The word आप is used as a reflexive pronoun in Hindi. This means the same word for 'formal you' is also used to say 'myself' or 'yourself'.
- In many parts of India, if someone asks आप कैसे हैं?, a common culturally-nuanced response is to mention 'God's grace' rather than just saying 'I am fine'.
Examples in context
- नमस्ते, आप कैसे हैं?namaste, aap kaise hain?Hello, how are you?
- बहुत समय बाद मिले, आप कैसे हैं?bahut samay baad mile, aap kaise hain?Long time no see, how are you?
Example conversation
Pooja and Aditya meet at a cafe.
- पूजा Poojaनमस्ते आदित्य, आप कैसे हैं?Namaste Aditya, aap kaise hain?Hello Aditya, how are you?
- आदित्य Adityaमैं ठीक हूँ, और आप?Main theek hoon, aur aap?I am fine, and you?
- पूजा Poojaमैं भी ठीक हूँ, शुक्रिया।Main bhi theek hoon, shukriya.I am also fine, thank you.
- आदित्य Adityaआपसे मिलकर खुशी हुई।Aapse milkar khushi hui.It was nice meeting you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries आप, कैसे, CC BY-SA 4.0.
