څه پروا نه کوي
tsa parwā na kawī
The Pashto phrase for "no problem" (meaning no apology is necessary) is څه پروا نه کوي (tsa parwā na kawī).
Meaning: no apology is necessary (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "it makes no difference" or "it makes no concern". The word څه means "any" or "what", پروا means "concern" or "care" and نه کوي means "does not do".
How do you pronounce it?
tsa parwā na kawī
Did you know?
- The word نه for 'no' is a cognate of the English word 'no'. They both trace back to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁néwn̥.
- In many Pashtun cultures, responding to an apology with a phrase that dismisses the error entirely is a way of preserving the 'honor' or dignity of the person who made the mistake.
- The word پروا used in this phrase is a loanword from Persian. It illustrates how Pashto and Persian have shared vocabulary for centuries due to their geographic proximity.
Example conversation
Khan apologizes to Zala for being late to a meeting.
- خان Khanزالا، بښنه غواړم چې زه ناوخته شوم.Zala, bakhna ghwaram che ze nawakta shum.Zala, I am sorry that I am late.
- زالا Zalaڅه پروا نه کوي، خان، موږ هم تازه راغلو.tse parwa na kawi, Khan, moong ham taze raghlo.No problem, Khan, we also just arrived.
- خان Khanډېره مننه چې زما لپاره منتظرې وې.dera manana che zma lapara muntazare we.Thank you very much for waiting for me.
- زالا Zalaهیڅ خبره نه ده.hits khabara na da.It is nothing.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries نه, څه, CC BY-SA 4.0.
