Ce mai faci?
In Romanian, "how are you?" is expressed as Ce mai faci?
While the phrase is used as a general greeting to inquire about someone's well-being much like the English "How are you?", it is also used to ask "How's everything going?" or "What else are you doing?"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Ce mai faci? literally translates to "What more are you doing?"
Which one should you use?
Ce mai faci? is used for the informal "how are you?", while Cum vă simțiți? translates to "How do you feel?" and Cum vă merge? translates to "How are you doing?"
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a single person formally or addressing a group of people, use Ce mai faceți? instead of Ce mai faci?
When do people say it?
A standard response to Ce mai faci? is Bine, mulțumesc, which means "Fine, thank you." If you want to ask the question back, you can say Și tu?, which means "And you?"
Did you know?
- Depending on the region, a person might respond to Ce mai faci? with Nu mă plânge, which literally means 'I am not complaining'. This is a common cultural way to express a state of modest satisfaction.
- If you were to use the formal version Ce mai faceți? in a very casual setting, you might actually sound sarcastic or mockingly polite to your friends.
- The word ce shares an ancient ancestor with the English word 'what', both originating from the Proto-Indo-European root *kʷid.
Examples in context
- Salut, doamnă Johnson. Cum vă merge în această zi frumoasă?Hello, Mrs. Johnson. How are you doing on this beautiful day?
- Hei, ce faci?Hey, how are you?
- Salut, Ion. Ce mai faci?Hi, Ion. How's everything going?
Example conversation
Andreea meets her friend Alexandru at a cafe.
- AndreeaBună, Alexandru! Ce mai faci?Hi, Alexandru! How are you?
- AlexandruSalut, Andreea! Sunt foarte bine, mulțumesc.Hi, Andreea! I am very well, thank you.
- AndreeaMă bucur să te aud.I am glad to hear that.
- AlexandruȘi eu mă bucur să te văd.And I am glad to see you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ce, mai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
