“How are you?” in Circassian is Дауэ ущыт? (Dawe ushchyt?) in Kabardian and Сыдэу ущыт? (Sydeu ushchyt?) in Adyghe. The usual answer is “I’m well”: Сыузыншэщ in Kabardian, Сыпсау in Adyghe.
How to ask “how are you?”
The Circassian app’s audio course teaches Дауэ ущыт? and Сыдэу ущыт? early, as the line that follows hello. In lesson 21 it adds a second question, “are you well?”: Уузыншэ? in Kabardian and Упсауа? in Adyghe.
How to answer
| English | Kabardian | Adyghe |
|---|---|---|
| I’m well | СыузыншэщSyuzynsheshch | СыпсауSypsaw |
| I’m well, and you? | Сыузыншэщ, уэ щэ?Syuzynsheshch, we shche? | Сыпсау, оры?Sypsau, ory? |
| I’m well, thank you | Сэ сыузыншэщ, упсэу.Se syuzynsheshch, upseu. | Сэ сыпсау, опсэу.Se sypsau, opseu. |
| fine, thank you (Kabardian) · everything’s fine, thank you (Adyghe) | Хъарзынэщ, упсэу.Kharzyneshch, upseu. | ЗэкIэ дэгъу. Опсэу.Zek'e deghw. Opseu. |
| I’m tired | СешащSyeshashch | СыпшъыгъSypshygh |
| I’m happy | Сэ сынасыпыфIэщ.Se synasypyf'eshch. | Сэ сынасыпышIо.Se synasypysh'o. |
| I’m sad | Сэ сынэщхъейщ.Se syneshchkhyeyshch. | Сэ сынэшхъэй.Se syneshkhey. |
| and you? | Уэ щэ?We shche? | Оры?Ory? |
“I’m well” is one word in each dialect. In lesson 21 the course takes it apart and shows the word inside it, which means “well” or “healthy”: узыншэ in Kabardian and псау in Adyghe. The Kabardian dictionary in the app gives узыншэ as “healthy”. So the answer is, quite literally, “I’m healthy”.
To be polite, add thank you at the end (Упсэу / Опсэу), or turn the question back with “and you?”: Уэ щэ? in Kabardian, Оры? in Adyghe.
Hear it in a conversation
Two scenes from the audio course, with its characters Aslan and Madina. Tap a line to hear it.
Kabardian · lesson 3 · meeting again
Adyghe · lesson 21 · back from a trip
Don’t worry, everything’s fine
When the answer to “how are you?” is not so good, lesson 21 gives you the words to comfort someone: “don’t worry, everything’s fine”. Madina says them to Aslan when he comes back tired from his trip.
More Circassian phrases
Each page has both dialects with audio. The Circassian phrasebook puts them all on one page, and how to say it in Circassian has the most-searched words.
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How are you in Circassian: questions
How do you say how are you in Circassian?
In Kabardian Дауэ ущыт?, in Adyghe Сыдэу ущыт?
How do you answer how are you in Circassian?
“I’m well” is Сыузыншэщ in Kabardian and Сыпсау in Adyghe. Add thank you, or ask back with Уэ щэ? / Оры? (and you?).
How do you say I’m fine, thank you in Kabardian?
Сэ сыузыншэщ, упсэу. (I’m well, thank you) or Хъарзынэщ, упсэу. (fine, thank you).
How do you say how are you in Adyghe?
Сыдэу ущыт? The answer “I’m well, and you?” is Сыпсау, оры?
What does сыузыншэщ mean?
“I’m well”. The word inside it, узыншэ, means “healthy” in the Kabardian dictionary.
Sources
- Circassian App audio course (Beginner), Kabardian lessons 3, 14 and 21; Adyghe lessons 3, 14 and 21. Each lesson’s script was reviewed by a native speaker of its dialect before the course was made; the audio on this page is the app’s own.
- M.L. Apazhev, Dzh.N. Kokov, Kabardino-cherkessko-russky slovar (Kabardino-Cherkess–Russian Dictionary), Nalchik: Elbrus, 2008, the Kabardian dictionary built into the app’s Translate screen: узыншэ (p. 451).
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