مرحبا، كيف حالك؟

A natural MSA-style pronunciation is:

• مرحبا = marḥaban
• كيف = kayfa
• حالك = ḥāluka if speaking to a man, ḥāluki if speaking to a woman

So the whole sentence is:

• marḥaban, kayfa ḥāluka?
• marḥaban, kayfa ḥāluki?

A few sound notes:

• ح is a stronger, breathier h sound than English h
• خ does not appear here, so كيف is kayf, not khayf
• ر is usually rolled or tapped lightly
• Short vowels are often not written in normal Arabic text, but they matter in careful pronunciation

Yes, in modern usage مرحبا is simply a common greeting meaning hello or welcome depending on context.

In this sentence, it functions as hello.

You may also hear:

• أهلاً
• أهلاً وسهلاً
• السلام عليكم

All are common greetings, but مرحبا is very straightforward and beginner-friendly.

The ك is a possessive suffix meaning your.

So:

• حال = condition, state, or well-being
• حالك = your condition / how you are

This is why the phrase asks about someone's state or condition.

The ending changes depending on who you are speaking to:

• حالكَ = your state when speaking to one male
• حالكِ = your state when speaking to one female

In normal unvowelled writing, both are usually written the same way: حالك.

Yes. In careful MSA, the final word changes in pronunciation:

• To a man: كيف حالكَ؟ = kayfa ḥāluka?
• To a woman: كيف حالكِ؟ = kayfa ḥāluki?

In ordinary Arabic script without vowel marks, both are written:

• كيف حالك؟

So the written form often looks identical, but the spoken form changes.

كيف means how.

It is the question word introducing the question:

• كيف = how
• كيف حالك؟ = literally something like How is your condition?

This is a very common Arabic way to ask How are you?

Arabic often does not use a present-tense verb corresponding to English am / is / are in simple sentences.

So where English says:

• How are you?

Arabic often says something more like:

• How your condition?

with the present-tense is understood.

That is completely normal in Arabic. The sentence is not missing anything.

In full, careful MSA pronunciation, you may hear:

• مرحبًا = marḥaban
• كيفَ = kayfa
• حالُكَ = ḥāluka or حالُكِ = ḥāluki

These endings reflect standard grammar and full vocalization.

However, in everyday speech, case endings are often reduced or dropped, especially outside very formal reading or recitation. So learners will often hear something closer to:

• marḥaba, kayf ḥālak

But if you are studying MSA, it is good to know the fully vocalized form.

It is polite, neutral, and widely acceptable.

It is not extremely formal, but it is not rude or slangy either. It works well in many situations:

• speaking to classmates
• greeting colleagues
• basic textbook conversation
• polite everyday interaction

For very formal or traditional settings, you might instead hear greetings like:

• السلام عليكم
• كيف حالُكُم؟ when addressing more than one person or using a more formal plural

Some common answers are:

• أنا بخير، شكراً. = I am fine, thank you.
• بخير، الحمد لله. = Fine, praise be to God.
• أنا جيد. = I am good.
• أنا جيدة. = I am good. (said by a woman)

A very common exchange is:

• مرحبا، كيف حالك؟
• أنا بخير، شكراً. وأنت؟ = I’m fine, thank you. And you?

In MSA, you can say:

• وأنت؟ when speaking to one man
• وأنتِ؟ when speaking to one woman

So a full reply could be:

• أنا بخير، شكراً. وأنت؟
• أنا بخير، شكراً. وأنتِ؟

Again, in normal writing without vowel marks, the two forms often look very similar.

Not exactly. If you are speaking to more than one person, the ending changes.

To two people:

• كيف حالكما؟

To a group of men or a mixed group:

• كيف حالكم؟

To a group of women:

• كيف حالكن؟

So كيف حالك؟ is for one person only.

Yes, you can say just كيف حالك؟

Adding مرحبا makes it sound like:

• Hello, how are you?

Without it, you are simply asking:

• How are you?

Both are correct. Including مرحبا makes the sentence feel more like a natural greeting sequence.

Arabic often asks about a person's state, condition, or situation rather than directly using a structure like English How are you?

So:

• حال = state / condition
• حالك = your state

This is a very common pattern in Arabic and in many other languages as well. It is one of those expressions best learned as a whole phrase rather than translated word-for-word every time.