Necəsən/Necəsiniz

How Are You Forms

Level 1

Necəsən? (Informal) vs. Necəsiniz? (Formal/Plural)

How It Works

In Azerbaijani, greetings are deeply tied to social context. The root word is necə (how). To ask 'How are you?', you must attach a nominal predicate suffix.

1. Necəsən?: This is the informal singular form. Use it with friends, family members, children, or people younger than you. It uses the suffix -sən because of vowel harmony (specifically the front vowel 'ə').

2. Necəsiniz?: This is the formal or plural form. Use it for:

  • Addressing one person formally (elders, teachers, strangers, or superiors).
  • Addressing a group of two or more people (plural).

3. Necəsiz?: In daily life, especially in Baku, you will often hear this shortened version of the formal form. It is polite and very common in spoken Azerbaijani.

Note: Unlike English, you don't need to say the pronouns sən (you) or siz (you all/formal) because the suffix already tells you who is being addressed.

Examples (4)

  1. Salam, Elvin! Necəsən?

    Hi, Elvin! How are you?

    Word by Word: Hello, Elvin! How-are-you?

    Used here because Elvin is a friend (informal singular).

  2. Salam, Leyla xanım, necəsiniz?

    Hello, Ms. Leyla, how are you?

    Word by Word: Hello, Leyla Lady, how-are-you(formal)?

    The formal suffix -siniz is used to show respect to 'Leyla xanım'.

  3. Uşaqlar, necəsiniz?

    Children, how are you?

    Word by Word: Children, how-are-you(plural)?

    Even though children are informal, the plural suffix -siniz is required when addressing more than one person.

  4. Salam, müəllim, necəsiz?

    Hello, teacher, how are you?

    Word by Word: Hello, teacher, how-are-you(polite)?

    Uses the common colloquial polite contraction 'necəsiz'.

Common Mistakes

  • Both are correct; 'necəsən' is close and warm, 'necəsiniz' is more formal.

    Different MeaningBaba, necəsən?
    Baba, necəsiniz?

    'Baba, necəsən?' is correct and common in families, where 'sən' sounds close and warm. 'Necəsiniz' is more formal or respectful, and it is the safer choice with an elder you do not know well.

  • Using the Turkish word 'Nasılsınız'.

    Nasılsınız?
    Necəsiniz?

    While similar, 'Nasıl' is Turkish. Azerbaijani specifically uses 'Necə'.

  • Spelling the suffix with 'i' instead of 'ə'.

    Necəsin?
    Necəsən?

    Azerbaijani uses the 'ə' sound in the 2nd person singular suffix, which is a distinct feature of the language.

How It Connects

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Necəsən/NecəsinizLevel 1How Are You Forms

Learn This First

To understand 'Necəsən' and 'Necəsiniz', you need to know the question word for 'how' and how to apply the second person nominal endings (to be) to words that are not verbs.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

necə-sən-siniz