A Word for Monday – 30 September, 2013

This week we’ll look at another common phrase – “how are you?”  Here are the question and a few variations of answers – look below for some cultural insight into this expression.

English	Slovak
How are you?	Ako sa máš?
	[AH-ko sah MAHsh] listen to pronunciation:
I’m doing well/fine.	Mám sa dobre. [MAHM sah DOH-breh]
I’m not doing well.	Mám sa zle. [MAHM sah ZLEH]
I’m doing wonderful.	Mám sa výborne. [MAHM sah VEE-bor-nyeh]
And you?	A ty? [ah TEE?]

This is not heard as often in Slovakia as we would typically use it – in the U.S., this has almost become a kind of greeting.  We might even ask this of a stranger, but you wouldn’t expect a full or honest answer.  Here, you would only ask your friends how they are doing, and only if you really want to know the answer!