Ways to say it
| Tunisian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| لاباس؟ | labes? | |
| شنية أحوالك؟ | shniya ahwalek? | more specifically Tunisian |
لاباس؟ is the quick, everyday question Tunisians ask after greeting someone. شنية أحوالك؟ (shniya ahwalek?) asks the same thing more fully and sounds a touch more conversational.
What does it mean word for word?
لاباس joins لا, 'no', with باس, 'harm', so it literally asks 'no harm?', meaning 'is everything alright?' أحوالك means 'your conditions' or 'your state'.
Which one should you use?
لاباس؟ is short and used constantly. شنية أحوالك؟ sounds warmer and a little more detailed, closer to asking 'what's going on with you'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Both fit informal daily speech. لاباس؟ works with strangers too, since it is treated as a light, almost automatic greeting question.
Is it said differently in some regions?
لاباس is shared across the Maghreb, used the same way in Morocco and Algeria. شنية for 'what' is more distinctly Tunisian.
How does it change in a sentence?
لاباس also works as the answer to itself, so لاباس، الحمدلله means 'fine, thank God' in reply.
How do you pronounce it?
لاباس stresses the second syllable, with a long a sound, 'la-BAS'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Expecting a long answer to لاباس؟ misses the point, it usually gets a short, automatic reply rather than real news.
Did you know?
- لاباس, literally 'no harm', is the same everyday 'how are you' heard across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, uniting the whole Maghreb in one phrase.
- لاباس doubles as both the question and the answer, so the same word opens and closes a short exchange about wellbeing.
Examples in context
- عسلامة، لاباس؟aslema, labes?Hello, how are you?
- لاباس الحمدلله، وانت؟labes el-hamdulillah, w enti?Good, thank God, how about you?
- شنية أحوالك هذه الأيام؟shniya ahwalek hadhi el-ayyam?How are things with you these days?
Example conversation
Nizar runs into his old friend Ons at the market in Tunis.
- Nizarعسلامة أنس، لاباس؟aslema Ons, labes?Hello Ons, how are you?
- Onsلاباس الحمدلله، وانت شنية أحوالك؟labes el-hamdulillah, w enti shniya ahwalek?Good thank God, and how are things with you?
- Nizarالحمدلله، نخدم برشا هالأيام.el-hamdulillah, nekhdem barsha halayyam.Thank God, I am working a lot these days.
- Onsربي يعاونك.rabbi y3awnek.May God help you.
