wo ho te sɛn?
The English phrase 'how are you?' is translated into Twi as wo ho te sɛn?
wo ho te sɛn? is a common greeting used to ask someone about their health or general well-being. In Twi culture, asking about one's 'body' (ho) is the standard way to inquire about a person's health and state of being.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase wo ho te sɛn? literally translates to 'how is your body?' Here, wo means 'your', ho means 'body', te means 'is/stays' and sɛn means 'how'.
Which one should you use?
While wo ho te sɛn? specifically asks about the person's physical/personal well-being, the phrase Ɛte sɛn? is a more general 'How is it?' or 'How are things?'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Ɛte sɛn? is an informal greeting that means 'How's it going?' To address more than one person, change the possessive pronoun 'wo' (your) to 'mo' (your, plural) to say Mo ho te sɛn?
How does it change in a sentence?
A common short response to wo ho te sɛn? is ɛyɛ (it is good) or ɛyɛ paa (it is very good).
Did you know?
- In many Twi speaking communities, it is customary to use the right hand for gesturing during greetings, as using the left hand can be seen as disrespectful.
- Twi is a tonal language, meaning the pitch used when saying sɛn can change the meaning of the sentence entirely.
- In Ghana, it is common to greet people with a specific sequence of questions about their family, work and health before getting to the main point of a conversation.
Examples in context
- Akwaaba! Wo ho te sɛn?Hello! How are you?
- Ɛte sɛn?How's it going?
- Wo ho te sɛn?How are you?
- Ɛyɛ, wo ho te sɛn?It is good, how are you?
- Maame, wo ho te sɛn?Mother, how are you?
