Ways to say it
| Jordanian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كيفك | kifak | to a man |
| كيفك | kifek | to a woman |
| شو أخبارك | shu akhbarak | what is your news |
To a woman, the same spelling is said كيفك (kifek), the vowel shifting rather than the letters. شو أخبارك (shu akhbarak), 'what is your news', is a common follow-up or alternative among friends.
What does it mean word for word?
كيفك joins كيف, 'how', with the ending for 'you'. أخبارك comes from خبر, 'news', asking what news someone has to share.
Which one should you use?
كيفك/كيفك is the everyday Levantine greeting question, distinct from the Gulf and Iraqi شلونك. شو أخبارك feels a touch more casual and conversational.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Neither question is formal or impolite, both are the normal way Jordanians ask how someone is doing among equals.
Is it said differently in some regions?
كيفك is shared across the Levant, in Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, setting Jordanian clearly apart from the Gulf and Iraqi شلونك.
How does it change in a sentence?
Only the pronunciation of the final vowel shifts for gender, not the spelling, which stays كيفك for both a man and a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
To a man, the final vowel is a short a, 'ki-fak'. To a woman, it shifts to a short e, 'ki-fek'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using the Gulf شلونك in Jordan will be understood thanks to shared media, but it immediately marks the speaker as using a non-local phrase.
When do people say it?
A full answer usually continues past a single word, often moving straight into family or work news rather than stopping at 'fine'.
Did you know?
- كيفك is written the same for a man or a woman, with only the spoken final vowel marking the difference, unlike the Gulf شلونك/شلونچ pair.
- شو أخبارك, literally 'what is your news', treats catching up on someone's life as the natural next step after a simple hello.
Examples in context
- كيفك اليوم، كل شي تمام؟kifak il-yom, kul shi tamam?How are you today, is everything okay?
- كيفك يا سارة، من زمان!kifek ya Sara, min zaman!How are you, Sara, it's been a while!
- شو أخبارك، شخبار الشغل؟shu akhbarak, shu akhbar ish-shughul?What's new with you, how is work?
Example conversation
Omar runs into his old classmate Rana at a mall in Amman.
- Omarكيفك يا رنا؟kifek ya Rana?How are you, Rana?
- Ranaمنيحة، الحمد لله، وانت كيفك؟mniha, il-hamdilla, w inta kifak?Good, thank God, and how are you?
- Omarتمام، شو أخبار الشغل؟tamam, shu akhbar ish-shughul?All good, what's new at work?
- Ranaمنيح، بس مشغولة شوي.mnih, bas mashghuleh shway.Good, but a little busy.
