How are you in Bengali changes with the person you are asking: the pronoun and the verb ending both move together, from apni and achhen to tui and achhis. The readings on this page are a plain spelling with no accent marks, and chh stands for the letter ছ, as in the FSI Bengali course. Every form was checked against the FSI course and the Wikivoyage Bengali phrasebook.
| Bengali | English | Style | Where you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| আপনি কেমন আছেন?apni kemon achhen? | How are you? | Polite | Elders, strangers, teachers, work |
| কেমন আছেন?kemon achhen? | How are you? | Polite | The same people, with apni left out |
| তুমি কেমন আছো?tumi kemon achho? | How are you? | Friendly | Friends, people your age, family |
| কেমন আছো?kemon achho? | How are you? | Friendly | The same people, with tumi left out |
| তুই কেমন আছিস?tui kemon achhis? | How are you? | Very casual | Close friends, children, younger siblings |
কেমন (kemon) means "how", and Wiktionary lists it as the question word for "how" and "what kind of". The last word is a form of "to be", and it changes with the pronoun: আছেন (achhen) goes with আপনি (apni), আছো (achho) with তুমি (tumi), and আছিস (achhis) with তুই (tui).
The FSI course calls apni the formal form for elders, strangers and officials, and the default in professional settings. It calls tumi informal, for peers and acquaintances, to use at work only when you are invited to or with close colleagues. It calls tui very informal, for close friends and children. If you are not sure which to use, take apni. Spelling varies: Wikivoyage writes আছ where this page writes আছো for tumi.
| Bengali | English | Style |
|---|---|---|
| ভালো আছি, ধন্যবাদ।bhalo achhi, dhonnobad. | I am well, thank you. | Any person |
| আমি ভালো আছি।ami bhalo achhi. | I am well. | Any person |
| আমিও ভালো আছি।amio bhalo achhi. | I am well too. | Any person |
| আমি ভালো আছি। আপনি কেমন আছেন?ami bhalo achhi. apni kemon achhen? | I am well. How are you? | Polite |
ভালো (bhalo) means "good" or "well", and আছি (achhi) is "I am". Your own verb always ends in আছি, whoever you are talking to. Bengali verbs and pronouns do not change for gender, so a man and a woman say the same words.
Bengali has two common hellos, and Wikivoyage labels them by religion.
| Bengali | English | Said by | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| নমস্কার।nomoshkar. | Hello. | Hindus | নমস্কার। |
| আসসালামু আলাইকুম।assalamu alaikum. | Peace be upon you. | Muslims | ওয়ালাইকুম আসসালাম।walaikum assalam. |
The FSI course gives both hellos and the answer wa alaikum assalam, and Wikivoyage labels the two hellos Hindu and Muslim. Wikivoyage also notes that pronunciation in Bangladesh differs a lot from Standard Bengali in India. Neither source lists a different way of asking how are you in Bangladesh, so the forms above are the ones to learn for both places.
A student meets her teacher:
| Bengali | English |
|---|---|
| নমস্কার। আপনি কেমন আছেন?nomoshkar. apni kemon achhen? | Hello. How are you? |
| ভালো আছি, ধন্যবাদ। আপনি কেমন আছেন?bhalo achhi, dhonnobad. apni kemon achhen? | I am well, thank you. How are you? |
Two friends meet:
| Bengali | English |
|---|---|
| তুমি কেমন আছো?tumi kemon achho? | How are you? |
| আমি ভালো আছি। তুমি কেমন আছো?ami bhalo achhi. tumi kemon achho? | I am well. How are you? |
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Asking an older person তুমি কেমন আছো. | Use আপনি কেমন আছেন. The FSI course treats আপনি as the default for anyone you do not know well. |
| Asking a friend তুই কেমন আছিস. | Keep তুই for very close friends and children. A friendly তুমি কেমন আছো is safer. |
| Mixing the two, as in আপনি কেমন আছো. | The verb has to match the pronoun: আপনি goes with আছেন, তুমি with আছো, and তুই with আছিস. |
| Answering আমি ভালো আছেন. | Your own answer always ends in আছি: আমি ভালো আছি. |
To read these phrases in the original script, start with the Bengali alphabet course. For a plan, read the best way to learn Bengali, or compare apps in our Bengali app guide.
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Is It Kemon Achho or Kemon Achhen?
Both are correct, for different people. কেমন আছেন (kemon achhen) is polite, and কেমন আছো (kemon achho) is for friends and family. The FSI course lists both, with apni for the polite one.
How Do You Ask Someone How They Are in Bangladesh?
The sources we checked give one set of forms for both places. Pronunciation differs between Bangladesh and India, according to Wikivoyage, so expect to hear the same words said a little differently. The hello can also differ from one person to the next, because Wikivoyage labels nomoshkar as Hindu and assalamu alaikum as Muslim.
Which Bengali App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Bengali, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. For other apps, see our Bengali app comparison.
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Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- FSI Bengali course, unit 2: Greetings and basic phrases (namaskar, assalamu alaikum and wa alaikum assalam, kemon achhen, kemon achho, kemon aachis, replies, apni, tumi and tui with their levels)
- Wikivoyage: Bengali phrasebook (how are you, formal and familiar, spelled আছ; Hindu and Muslim hellos; Bangladeshi pronunciation differs)
- Wikipedia: Bengali grammar (verbs change with honour; pronouns do not mark gender)
- Wiktionary: কেমন (kemon, how)
