Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Asking 'How are you?' in Kannada is simple: use 'hegiddeera?' for formal/plural or 'hegiddeeya?' for informal.
- Use 'hegiddeera?' (ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?) for elders or strangers (Formal).
- Use 'hegiddeeya?' (ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ?) for friends or family (Informal).
- The word 'hege' (ಹೇಗೆ) means 'how' and is the base of these questions.
Meanings
These phrases are the standard way to inquire about a person's well-being or current state.
Formal Inquiry
Asking a stranger or elder about their well-being.
“ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?”
“ಅವರು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?”
Informal Inquiry
Asking a friend or peer about their well-being.
“ನೀನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ?”
“ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ?”
Verb Conjugation for 'How are you?'
| Pronoun | Kannada | Transliteration | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (am) | ನಾನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ | Naanu hegiddeene | Neutral |
| You (informal) | ನೀನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ | Neenu hegiddeeya | Informal |
| You (formal) | ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ | Neevu hegiddeera | Formal |
| He | ಅವನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ | Avanu hegiddaane | Neutral |
| She | ಅವಳು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದಾಳೆ | Avalu hegiddaale | Neutral |
| They (formal) | ಅವರು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ | Avaru hegiddaare | Formal |
Common Conversational Shortening
| Full Form | Shortened Form |
|---|---|
| ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? | ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? |
| ನೀನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ? | ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ? |
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Formal Question | Neevu + hege + iddeera | ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? |
| Informal Question | Neenu + hege + iddeeya | ನೀನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ? |
| Formal Answer | Naanu + chennagiddene | ನಾನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ |
| Informal Answer | Naanu + chennagiddene | ನಾನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ |
| Plural Question | Neevu + hege + iddeera | ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? |
| Negative Answer | Naanu + chennagilla | ನಾನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿಲ್ಲ |
طیف رسمیت
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? (General greeting)
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ? (General greeting)
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ? (General greeting)
ಏನ್ ಸಮಾಚಾರ? (General greeting)
The 'How are you' Tree
Formal
- ನೀವು You (respectful)
- ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ How are you?
Informal
- ನೀನು You (casual)
- ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ How are you?
Examples by Level
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
How are you? (formal)
ನೀನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ?
How are you? (informal)
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
How are you?
ಅಮ್ಮ, ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
Mom, how are you?
ಸರ್, ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
Sir, how are you?
ನಾನು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ದೇನೆ, ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
I am fine, how are you?
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ ಗೆಳೆಯ?
How are you, friend?
ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ?
How is everyone?
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಲು ಬಂದೆ.
I came to ask how you are.
ಅವರು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದಾರೋ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ.
I don't know how they are.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ ಅಂತ ಕೇಳಿದ್ರು.
They asked how you are.
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿ.
Tell me how you are.
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂಬುದು ಮುಖ್ಯವಲ್ಲ, ಆರೋಗ್ಯ ಮುಖ್ಯ.
How you are is not important, health is.
ಅವನು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ನಾನು ಸುಮ್ಮನಿದ್ದೆ.
When he asked how I was, I stayed silent.
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂದು ವಿಚಾರಿಸುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯ.
Asking how you are is our tradition.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳುವಾಗ ನಗು ಇರಲಿ.
Keep a smile when asking how someone is.
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಗಿರುವ ಕಾಳಜಿ ಅಪಾರ.
The care hidden in the question 'how are you' is immense.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ ಎಂಬ ಪದದ ಬಳಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿನ ಸಾಮೀಪ್ಯವನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಿ.
Observe the intimacy in the use of the word 'hegiddeeya'.
ಅವರು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದ ರೀತಿ ನನಗೆ ಇಷ್ಟವಾಯಿತು.
I liked the way they asked how I was.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳುವಾಗ ವಿನಯವಿರಲಿ.
Be humble when asking how someone is.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂಬುದು ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯಲ್ಲ, ಅದು ಒಂದು ಭಾವನೆ.
How are you is not just a question, it is an emotion.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀಯಾ ಎಂಬ ಸಂಬೋಧನೆಯು ಆಪ್ತತೆಯನ್ನು ಸೂಚಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
The address 'hegiddeeya' indicates closeness.
ನೀವು ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ಅವರ ಮುಖದಲ್ಲಿ ನಗು ಇತ್ತು.
There was a smile on their face when they asked how I was.
ಹೇಗಿದ್ದೀರಾ ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯು ಸಂಸ್ಕೃತಿಯ ಪ್ರತಿಬಿಂಬ.
The question 'how are you' is a reflection of culture.
Easily Confused
Learners mix up the formal and informal suffixes.
Both are question words.
Both are greetings.
اشتباهات رایج
Neenu hegiddeera?
Neenu hegiddeeya?
Neevu hegiddeeya?
Neevu hegiddeera?
Hege iddeera?
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera neevu?
Neevu hegiddeera?
Yake iddeera?
Hege iddeera?
Hegiddeera naanu?
Naanu hegiddeene?
Hegiddeera avaru?
Avaru hegiddaare?
Hegiddeera anta?
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera neevu?
Neevu hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera ellaru?
Ellaru hegiddaare?
Hegiddeera nimmannu?
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera nanna?
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera neevu ellaru?
Ellaru hegiddaare?
Sentence Patterns
Neevu ___?
Neenu ___?
___ hegiddeera?
___ hegiddeeya?
Real World Usage
Hegiddeeya?
Hegiddeera ellaru?
Hegiddeera sir?
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeera?
Smile
Don't rush
Use names
Respect
Smart Tips
Always use the formal form to be safe.
Use the informal form to sound natural.
Default to formal.
Use the formal form for everyone.
تلفظ
Double consonants
Hold the 'd' sound slightly longer.
Rising intonation
Raise your pitch at the end of the question.
Question
Hegiddeera↑
Rising pitch indicates a question.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Hegiddeera' as 'He-gets-deera' (He gets the respect).
Visual Association
Imagine a formal person bowing (Hegiddeera) and a friend giving a high-five (Hegiddeeya).
Rhyme
Hegiddeera for the elder, Hegiddeeya for the friend, use them right until the end.
Story
Ravi meets his teacher and says 'Hegiddeera?'. Then he meets his friend and says 'Hegiddeeya?'. He never mixes them up because he remembers the bow and the high-five.
Word Web
چالش
Ask 3 people 'Hegiddeera?' today.
نکات فرهنگی
Kannada culture is very polite. Always use formal forms for elders.
People might use more affectionate terms like 'appa' or 'amma'.
A mix of Kannada and English is common.
Derived from the Dravidian root 'iru' (to be) and 'hege' (how).
Conversation Starters
Hegiddeera?
Hegiddeeya?
Ellaru hegiddaare?
Hegiddeera sir?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
How do you ask an elder how they are?
Neenu ___?
Find and fix the mistake:
Neenu hegiddeera?
hegiddeera / neevu / ?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Can you use 'hegiddeeya' for a stranger?
A: Hegiddeera? B: ___
Neevu ___?
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesHow do you ask an elder how they are?
Neenu ___?
Find and fix the mistake:
Neenu hegiddeera?
hegiddeera / neevu / ?
Match formal and informal.
Can you use 'hegiddeeya' for a stranger?
A: Hegiddeera? B: ___
Neevu ___?
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
No, always use 'hegiddeera' for your boss.
It means 'how'.
Yes, it is used for both formal singular and plural.
It is part of the verb conjugation.
Yes, it is very common to drop the pronoun.
Register: formal vs informal.
No, it is very polite.
Say 'Naanu chennagiddene' (I am fine).
In Other Languages
¿Cómo estás?
Kannada is more agglutinative.
Comment allez-vous?
French uses a different verb entirely.
Wie geht es Ihnen?
German uses a dative construction.
O-genki desu ka?
Japanese uses particles.
Kayfa haluka?
Arabic is Semitic.
Ni hao ma?
Chinese has no conjugation.