How to say “how are you?” in Tunisian Arabic

Asking how someone is doing is one of the first steps to holding a conversation in Tunisian Arabic. This page presents phrases recorded by our native teachers: how to ask the question, how to answer it, and how to ask about someone's family.

All the phrases are ready to use from your very first exchange. You will also notice that several spellings exist for the same expression - this is completely normal in Tunisian Arabic written in Latin characters.

The main expression and its variants

The question “how are you?” translates as chnaw a7welek in Tunisian Arabic. Our recordings show several spellings for this same question:

chnaw a7welek
chnowa a7welek
chnaw ahwelek
Chnawa a7welek
chnaw 7walek
chnaw 7walik

These forms are pronounced very similarly. None of them is incorrect. You will also see “okay” spelled as labess or labès depending on the phrase - both are used.

How to answer

The usual answers include the word hamdoullah, meaning “thank God” or “by the grace of God”, and often end with W enti? (“And you?”) to turn the question back to your conversation partner:

Click the button after a phrase to hear it spoken by a teacher.

Labès, hamdoullah! W enti? - I'm fine, thank God! And you?
El hamdoullah labess. W enti? - Thank God, I'm fine. And you?
El hamdoullah, labess. W enti? - By the grace of God, I'm fine. And you?
Labess. Aya, chnowa 3andek jdid? - Fine. So, what's new?

The last phrase does not return the question but invites the other person to share news.

Combining a greeting with the question

In our recordings, the question is almost always preceded by a greeting. Here are the main combinations:

3aslema, chnowa a7welek? - Hey, how are you?
Sba7 el kher, chnaw a7welek? - Good morning, how are you?
Aslema 5ouya! Chnaw 7walek? - Hey bro! How's it going?
Asslema sahbi! chnaw ahwelek, labès ? - Hey man! How are you?
Shih, Chnawa a7welek ? - Really, how are you?

The phrase 3omri, chnaw a7welek ? uses 3omri as a term of address. Its recorded translation is “My life, how are you?” - it expresses warmth toward the person you are speaking to.

Asking about the family

To ask how someone's family is doing, our teachers recorded the following phrase:

Ahla, chnaw 7wel l3ayla? - Hey, how is the family?

It combines a greeting and a question about the family, and fits naturally at the start of a conversation.

Ready-to-use examples

Here are five complete phrases from our recordings, with their translations:

3omri, chnaw a7welek ? - My life, how are you?
Sba7 el kher, chnaw a7welek? - Good morning, how are you?
Asslema sahbi! chnaw ahwelek, labès ? - Hey man! How are you?
El hamdoullah labess. W enti? - Thank God, I'm fine. And you?
Ahla, chnaw 7wel l3ayla? - Hey, how is the family?

A mini-dialogue built from phrases recorded by our teachers

The following phrases, all recorded by our teachers, chain together into a natural exchange:

Aslema 5ouya! Chnaw 7walek?
Hey bro! How's it going?

Labès, hamdoullah! W enti?
I'm fine, thank God! And you?

Labess. Aya, chnowa 3andek jdid?
Fine. So, what's new?

FAQ

What is the difference between “labess” and “labès”?

Both spellings appear in our recordings and both translate as “fine” or “okay”. The difference comes from how each teacher writes the sound in Latin characters. You can use whichever spelling matches the phrase you have learned.

What does “W enti?” mean?

W enti? is translated as “And you?” in our recordings. It appears at the end of an answer to return the question, as in Labès, hamdoullah! W enti? or El hamdoullah labess. W enti?.

How do you ask “how are you?” in the morning?

Our teachers recorded Sba7 el kher, chnaw a7welek?, translated as “Good morning, how are you?”. Sba7 el kher corresponds here to “Good morning”.