సరే
sarē/saɾeː/
The Telugu word for okay is సరే (sarē).
The word సరే is used to express agreement, acceptance or to signal that one has understood something.
Meaning: OK (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/saɾeː/
Did you know?
- Telugu has a unique way of expressing 'it is okay' in the sense of 'no problem' using the phrase పర్వాలేదు (parvālēdu), which is distinct from the agreement-based సరే.
- The word సరే is a linguistic relative of the same word used in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada. This means a single word can often be understood across several different South Indian languages.
- Depending on the tone and length of the vowel, సరే can shift from a polite agreement to a dismissive 'fine, whatever' if the final sound is stretched.
Examples in context
- సరే, నేను రేపు వస్తాను.sarē, nēnu rēpu vastānu.Okay, I will come tomorrow.
- సరే, మనం వెళ్ళిపోదాం.sarē, manam veḷḷipōdām.Okay, let's go.
- అర్థమైంది, సరే.ardhamaindi, sarē.I understood, okay.
Example conversation
Lakshmi and Venkat are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiవెంకట్, మనం ఇవాళ బిర్యానీ తిందామా?veṅkaṭ, manam ivāḷa biriyāṇī tindāmā?Venkat, shall we eat biryani today?
- వెంకట్ Venkatసరే, నాకు అది ఇష్టం.sarē, nāku adi iṣṭam.Okay, I like that.
- లక్ష్మి Lakshmiనేను ఇప్పుడే ఆర్డర్ చేస్తాను.nēnu ippuḍē ārḍar cēstānu.I will order it right now.
- వెంకట్ Venkatసరే, లక్ష్మి.sarē, lakṣmi.Okay, Lakshmi.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry సరే, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries సరే, CC BY-SA 4.0.
