كيف يسير يومك؟
kayfa yasīru yawmuk?
The English phrase "how is your day going?" is translated into Arabic as كيف يسير يومك؟ (kayfa yasīru yawmuk?).
This phrase is a friendly question used to ask someone about their experiences and feelings during the current day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase كيف يسير يومك؟ is composed of kayfa (how), yasīru (goes/proceeds) and yawmuka (your day).
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a female, the suffix of the word yawmuka changes from -ka to -ki, resulting in كيف يسير يومكِ؟.
How do you pronounce it?
kayfa yasīru yawmuk?
When do people say it?
A common response to this question in Arabic is بخير, which means "good".
Did you know?
- In many Arabic cultures, a question about one's day is often answered by mentioning God, such as saying الحمد لله meaning 'Praise be to God', regardless of whether the day was actually good.
- The word كيف (how) has a distant linguistic connection to the idea of 'cutting off' or 'severing' in its most ancient intensive forms.
- While كيف يسير يومك؟ is grammatically perfect, it can sound quite formal or even literary in many spoken Arabic dialects.
Example conversation
Sarah and Omar meet at a coffee shop during a break.
- سارة Saraمرحباً يا عمر، كيف يسير يومك؟Marhaban ya Omar, kayfa yasiru yawmuka?Hi Omar, how is your day going?
- عمر Omarإنه يسير بشكل جيد جداً، وأنتِ؟Innahu yasiru bishaklin jayyid jiddan, wa anti?It is going very well, and you?
- سارة Saraيومي متعب قليلاً ولكنني بخير.Yawmi mut'ib qalilan walakinani bikhayr.My day is a bit tiring, but I am fine.
- عمر Omarأتمنى أن يصبح أفضل الآن.Atamanna an yusbiha afdal al-an.I hope it gets better now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries كيف, يسير, CC BY-SA 4.0.
