A0 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read Facile

Asking 'How are you?' (Apa khabar?)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Apa khabar?' to ask 'How are you?'—it is the most common way to start a conversation in Malay.

  • Use 'Apa khabar?' as a standalone question to ask about someone's well-being.
  • The response is typically 'Khabar baik' (The news is good).
  • It is used in both formal and informal settings with everyone.
Apa (What) + khabar (news) = How are you?

Basic Greeting Structure

Phrase Literal Meaning Function Response
Apa khabar?
What news?
Greeting
Khabar baik
Apa khabar, [Name]?
What news, [Name]?
Personalized
Khabar baik
Apa khabar semua?
What news everyone?
Group
Khabar baik
Apa khabar hari ini?
What news today?
Time-specific
Khabar baik
Apa khabar cikgu?
What news teacher?
Respectful
Khabar baik
Apa khabar tuan?
What news sir?
Formal
Khabar baik

Meanings

A standard phatic expression used to initiate social interaction by inquiring about the state of the other person.

1

Standard Greeting

The default way to ask 'How are you?'

“Apa khabar?”

“Apa khabar semua?”

Reference Table

Reference table for Asking 'How are you?' (Apa khabar?)
Form Structure Example
Standard
Apa khabar?
Apa khabar?
Personalized
Apa khabar + Name
Apa khabar, Siti?
Group
Apa khabar + semua
Apa khabar semua?
Polite
Apa khabar + Title
Apa khabar, Encik?
Response
Khabar + baik
Khabar baik.
Reciprocal
Khabar baik + anda?
Khabar baik, anda?
Formal
Apa khabar + Tuan/Puan
Apa khabar, Puan?
Casual
Apa khabar + bro/sis
Apa khabar, bro?

Spectre de formalité

Formel
Apa khabar, Tuan?

Apa khabar, Tuan? (Meeting someone)

Neutre
Apa khabar?

Apa khabar? (Meeting someone)

Informel
Apa khabar, bro?

Apa khabar, bro? (Meeting someone)

Argot
Khabar?

Khabar? (Meeting someone)

The 'Apa khabar' Network

Apa khabar?

People

  • Ali Name
  • Cikgu Teacher

Groups

  • Semua Everyone

Time

  • Hari ini Today

Greeting vs. Inquiry

Greeting
Hai Hi
Inquiry
Apa khabar? How are you?

The Conversation Flow

1

Meeting someone?

YES
Say 'Apa khabar?'
NO
Wait for meeting

Who can you ask?

👔

Formal

  • • Boss
  • • Teacher
  • • Elder
😊

Informal

  • • Friend
  • • Sibling
  • • Peer
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Exemples par niveau

1

Apa khabar?

How are you?

2

Khabar baik.

I am fine.

3

Apa khabar, Ali?

How are you, Ali?

4

Apa khabar semua?

How is everyone?

1

Apa khabar hari ini?

How are you today?

2

Khabar baik, terima kasih.

I'm fine, thank you.

3

Apa khabar kawan-kawan?

How are you, friends?

4

Apa khabar cikgu?

How are you, teacher?

1

Apa khabar keluarga di sana?

How is the family there?

2

Lama tidak jumpa, apa khabar?

Long time no see, how are you?

3

Apa khabar perniagaan anda?

How is your business?

4

Khabar baik, bagaimana dengan anda?

I'm fine, how about you?

1

Apa khabar keadaan di pejabat?

How are things at the office?

2

Apa khabar kesihatan ibu anda?

How is your mother's health?

3

Apa khabar projek tersebut?

How is that project?

4

Khabar baik, semuanya berjalan lancar.

I'm fine, everything is going well.

1

Apa khabar perkembangan terkini?

How are the latest developments?

2

Apa khabar suasana di sana?

How is the atmosphere there?

3

Apa khabar perjalanan anda?

How was your journey?

4

Khabar baik, terima kasih atas perhatian anda.

I'm fine, thank you for your concern.

1

Apa khabar khalayak ramai hari ini?

How is the public today?

2

Apa khabar situasi geopolitik sekarang?

How is the current geopolitical situation?

3

Apa khabar aspirasi anda?

How are your aspirations?

4

Khabar baik, saya dalam keadaan stabil.

I'm fine, I am in a stable state.

Facile à confondre

Asking 'How are you?' (Apa khabar?) vs Selamat Pagi vs. Apa khabar

Learners use them interchangeably.

Asking 'How are you?' (Apa khabar?) vs Hai vs. Apa khabar

Both are used to start conversations.

Asking 'How are you?' (Apa khabar?) vs Khabar baik vs. Saya baik

Learners try to use 'Saya'.

Erreurs courantes

✗

Bagaimana khabar?

✓

Apa khabar?

Bagaimana is not used in this greeting.
✗

Apa khabar awak?

✓

Apa khabar?

Adding 'awak' is unnecessary.
✗

Saya khabar baik.

✓

Khabar baik.

No need for 'Saya'.
✗

Apa berita?

✓

Apa khabar?

Berita means 'news' in a journalistic sense.
✗

Apa khabar kamu?

✓

Apa khabar?

Too formal/clunky.
✗

Khabar bagus.

✓

Khabar baik.

Bagus is for objects, baik is for state.
✗

Apa khabar sihat?

✓

Apa khabar?

Redundant.
✗

Apa khabar tuan-tuan?

✓

Apa khabar semua?

Tuan-tuan is too specific.
✗

Khabar baik, dan kamu?

✓

Khabar baik, anda?

Anda is better for general use.
✗

Apa khabar hari ini?

✓

Apa khabar?

Often unnecessary.
✗

Apa khabar perihal anda?

✓

Apa khabar?

Too wordy.
✗

Khabar baik, saya berasa sihat.

✓

Khabar baik.

Too literal.
✗

Apa khabar tuan puan?

✓

Apa khabar semua?

Clunky.
✗

Apa khabar khabar?

✓

Apa khabar?

Repetitive.

Structures de phrases

Apa khabar, ___?

Apa khabar ___?

Khabar baik, ___?

Apa khabar ___ anda?

Real World Usage

Texting very common

Apa khabar?

Job Interview common

Apa khabar, Tuan?

Social Media common

Apa khabar semua?

Travel common

Apa khabar, cik?

Food Delivery occasional

Apa khabar, bang?

School very common

Apa khabar, cikgu?

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💡

Keep it simple

Don't overthink the grammar. It's a set phrase.
⚠️

Don't translate literally

Avoid 'Bagaimana anda buat'.
🎯

Add a name

Adding a name makes you sound much more natural.
💬

Smile

The tone of your voice matters more than the words.

Smart Tips

Add a polite title like 'Encik' or 'Puan' after 'Apa khabar'.

Apa khabar? → Apa khabar, Encik?

Use 'semua' to include everyone.

Apa khabar? → Apa khabar semua?

Keep it short and sweet.

Khabar baik, terima kasih banyak. → Khabar baik!

Add 'Lama tidak jumpa' before the greeting.

Apa khabar? → Lama tidak jumpa, apa khabar?

Prononciation

ah-pah kha-bar

Phonetic

A-pa kha-bar. Each syllable is clear.

Rising

Apa khabar? ↗

Friendly inquiry

Mémorise-le

Moyen mnémotechnique

Think of 'Apa' as 'App' and 'Khabar' as 'Car'. What app is in your car? How are you?

Association visuelle

Imagine a news reporter (Khabar) holding a microphone asking 'What' (Apa) is happening in your life today.

Rhyme

Apa khabar, my dear friend, let the good news never end.

Story

Budi walks into a cafe. He sees his friend Siti. He smiles and says 'Apa khabar?'. Siti beams and replies 'Khabar baik!'. They both feel happy because they started with a kind word.

Word Web

ApaKhabarBaikTerima kasihSemuaHari ini

Défi

Say 'Apa khabar?' to three different people today (or in your head if you are alone).

Notes culturelles

It is a sign of respect to greet elders first.

In cities, it is often shortened to just 'Khabar?'.

Always use it before starting business.

The word 'khabar' comes from the Arabic 'khabar', meaning news or report.

Amorces de conversation

“

Apa khabar?

“

Apa khabar hari ini?

“

Apa khabar semua di rumah?

“

Apa khabar perkembangan projek anda?

Sujets d'écriture

Write a dialogue where you greet a friend.
Describe how you would greet your boss.
Reflect on why greetings are important.
Compare Malay greetings with your native language.

Erreurs courantes

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

Incorrect

Correct

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Test Yourself

Complete the greeting.

Apa ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: khabar
The phrase is Apa khabar.
What is the standard response? Choix multiple

Apa khabar?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khabar baik
Khabar baik is the standard response.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Bagaimana khabar?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar?
The correct phrase is Apa khabar.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar?
The correct order is Apa khabar.
Translate to Malay. Traduction

How are you?

Answer starts with: Apa...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar?
Apa khabar means How are you.
Match the greeting to the response. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khabar baik
Khabar baik is the standard response.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Apa khabar? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khabar baik
Khabar baik is the correct response.
Add a name to the greeting. Sentence Building

Apa khabar + Ali

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar, Ali?
The standard structure is Apa khabar, [Name].

Score: /8

Exercices pratiques

8 exercises
Complete the greeting.

Apa ___?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: khabar
The phrase is Apa khabar.
What is the standard response? Choix multiple

Apa khabar?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khabar baik
Khabar baik is the standard response.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Bagaimana khabar?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar?
The correct phrase is Apa khabar.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

khabar / Apa / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar?
The correct order is Apa khabar.
Translate to Malay. Traduction

How are you?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar?
Apa khabar means How are you.
Match the greeting to the response. Match Pairs

Apa khabar? -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khabar baik
Khabar baik is the standard response.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Apa khabar? B: ___

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Khabar baik
Khabar baik is the correct response.
Add a name to the greeting. Sentence Building

Apa khabar + Ali

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Apa khabar, Ali?
The standard structure is Apa khabar, [Name].

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

It is neutral. It works in both formal and informal settings.

There are no verbs to conjugate. It is a fixed phrase.

Yes, it is perfectly polite.

It sounds unnatural. Use 'Khabar baik'.

Yes, it is widely understood, though 'Apa kabar' (with an 'a') is the Indonesian spelling.

Yes, it is a social greeting, so a smile is expected.

You can, but it is often unnecessary.

Use it as your default greeting every time you start a conversation.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

¿Cómo estás?

Malay is gender-neutral.

French moderate

Comment ça va?

Malay is simpler.

German low

Wie geht es dir?

Malay has no conjugation.

Japanese moderate

O-genki desu ka?

Japanese has honorific levels.

Arabic high

Kayfa halak?

Arabic has gendered forms.

Chinese moderate

Ni hao ma?

Chinese uses particles.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Formal Greetings (Selamat Pagi/Petang)
Next
Saying Thank You (Terima Kasih)

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Formal Greetings (Selamat Pagi/Petang)
A0

Saying Thank You (Terima Kasih)
A0

Basic Parting Phrases (Selamat Tinggal/Jalan)
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