Ways to say it
| Lebanese Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كيفك؟ | kifak? | to a man |
| كيفك؟ | kifek? | to a woman |
| شو الأخبار؟ | shu l-akhbar? | casual, "what's new" |
Among friends, a very common alternative is شو الأخبار؟ (shu l-akhbar?), literally 'what is the news', used the same way English speakers say 'what's up'.
What does it mean word for word?
كيفك joins كيف, 'how', with the ending 'you'. شو الأخبار joins شو, 'what', and الأخبار, 'the news'.
Which one should you use?
كيفك؟ is the direct, everyday question about someone's state. شو الأخبار؟ is lighter and more about catching up than checking on someone's wellbeing.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both are informal but widely used, even at work, since Lebanese workplace Arabic stays fairly casual among colleagues of similar age.
Is it said differently in some regions?
كيفك is shared across the Levant. شو الأخبار as a greeting is especially frequent in Lebanese and Syrian speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending vowel is the only thing that changes: kifak to a man, kifek to a woman, the regular Lebanese pattern for the 'you' ending.
How do you pronounce it?
The stress sits on the first syllable, 'KEE-fak', with a short, clipped final consonant.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using the Standard Arabic كيف حالك؟ (kayfa haluka) is understood but sounds formal and bookish next to the natural كيفك؟.
When do people say it?
Lebanese conversations often repeat كيفك؟ back and forth several times, along with questions about family, before moving to the actual topic at hand.
Did you know?
- شو الأخبار؟ uses the same word أخبار, 'news', found in Arabic newspaper names across the region, turned into a casual everyday greeting.
- Lebanese Arabic has no single neutral form of كيفك, the ending always marks the gender of whoever is being asked.
Examples in context
- كيفك اليوم؟ شو عملت؟kifak l-yom? shu amalt?How are you today? What did you do?
- كيفك؟ من زمان ما شفتك.kifek? min zaman ma shiftik.How are you? I have not seen you in a while.
- شو الأخبار؟ كل شي تمام؟shu l-akhbar? kil shi tamam?What's up? Is everything fine?
Example conversation
Georges calls his old friend Nadine to catch up.
- Georgesكيفك نادين؟ شو الأخبار؟kifek nadine? shu l-akhbar?How are you, Nadine? What's new?
- Nadineمنيحة الحمد لله، وانت كيفك؟mniha il-hamdulillah, w inta kifak?I'm good, thank God, and you, how are you?
- Georgesتمام، شغلانة بس عادي.tamam, shaghlaneh bass aadi.Fine, busy with work but it's okay.
- Nadineيسلملي عليك دايما.yislamli alayk dayman.Take care of yourself always.
