Culture

How are you? How is your family?

When seeing a friend after a long absence, it is common to ask not only how the person is doing, but how the person's family is doing as well. This is done to show deep interest in the friend's life. (A man, however, must be careful not to ask specifically about the female members of his friend's family. Such a question could offend the friend, or, at the very least, would be considered inappropriate.)

Would you like to implement this cultural custom? To ask about the well being of someone other than the person with whom you are speaking, simply remove the -ak َك (your-male) or -ik ِك  (your-female) endings from the word Haal حال (condition) and replace it with a specific name.

kayf Haal muHammad?
كيف حال محمد؟
How is Muhammed?
kayf Haal samiira?
كيف حال سميرة؟
How is Samira?