Questions & Answers about مرحبا، كيف حالك؟
Why does مرحبا end with an alif (ا) if it is pronounced "marhaban"?
The ending sound "-an" comes from a double vowel mark called tanween. In Arabic spelling, this specific "-an" ending almost always requires an extra alif (ا) added to the end of the word to support it. People often leave the actual marks off in everyday writing, but the supporting alif stays.
Does حالك change depending on whether I am talking to a man or a woman?
Yes! The letter ك at the end is an attached pronoun meaning "your". If you are speaking to a man, it is pronounced with a short "a" sound at the end: haaluka. If you are speaking to a woman, it is pronounced with a short "i" sound: haaluki. The written letters remain exactly the same.
What is the literal translation of كيف حالك?
Literally, it means "How is your state?" or "How is your condition?". The word كيف means "how", and the base word حال means "condition" or "state".
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
There isn't one! In Arabic, you do not use the verb "to be" (am, is, are) in the present tense. You simply place the words next to each other. So, asking "How your state?" makes perfect grammatical sense in Arabic.
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