شلونك؟
shlōnak?everyday, Gulf, to a man
In Qatar the everyday question for "how are you" is شلونك؟ (shlōnak?), "how are you doing?", or شخبارك؟ (shakhbārak?), "what is your news?" The formal version is كيف حالك؟ (kayf ḥālak?).
Meaning: greeting asking about someone's well-being (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شلونك؟ | shlōnak? | everyday, Gulf, to a man |
| كيف حالك؟ | kayf ḥālak? | neutral, formal |
| شخبارك؟ | shakhbārak? | everyday, Gulf, to a man |
The common answer is الحمد لله (al-ḥamdu lillāh), "praise God", often followed by بخير (bi-khayr), "well".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
كيف حالك؟ (kayf ḥālak?) is the safe choice in formal situations. Among friends and colleagues in Doha, شلونك؟ (shlōnak?) is what you will hear first.
How does it change in a sentence?
The ending changes with the person you ask. A woman is asked شلونچ؟ (shlōnich?) or شخبارچ؟ (shakhbārich?) in Gulf speech.
Did you know?
- شخبارك (shakhbārak) is a contraction of ش (sh, "what") and أخبارك (akhbārak, "your news").
Examples in context
- هلا يا خالد، شلونك؟hala yā Khālid, shlōnak?Hello Khalid, how are you?
- شخبارك اليوم؟shakhbārak al-yōm?How are you today?
- الحمد لله بخيرal-ḥamdu lillāh bi-khayrPraise God, I am well.
Example conversation
Ali meets his neighbor Saad outside the mosque in Doha.
- Aliهلا سعد، شلونك؟hala Saʿad, shlōnak?Hello Saad, how are you?
- Saadالحمد لله، إنت شخبارك؟al-ḥamdu lillāh, inta shakhbārak?Praise God, how are you?
- Aliبخير، الله يسلمكbi-khayr, Allāh yesallimakWell, God keep you.
