# Where are you going? - greeting



## Qcumber

In Tagalog (Philippines) a person meeting a friend will say:
*Saán ká púpuntá?* = Where are you going? > Hello!
It's only a greeting, and the standard answer is:
*Diyán láng.* = Only there. > Hello!

Is the same question used as a greeting in other countries? What do people say, and what is the reply?

PLEASE, do not post about questions beginning with how. This thread is definitely about *where*.


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## Outsider

Not quite the same, but in Portuguese and other Romance languages you ask literally "How do you go?" (_Como vai?_, _Comment allez-vous ?_, etc.)

Of course the idiomatic translation of this expression would be "How are you doing?", or simply "How are you?"

The reply is "Fine, thanks", etc.


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## I_like_my_TV

Quite common in many countries in Asia: China, Japan, Vietnam, etc.


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## Kraus

In Italian: "Come va?"


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## Calamitintin

For French, answer for "Comment allez-vous ?" or "ça va ?" is "ça va".
++
Cal


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## Qcumber

Please, this thread is definitely not about the expressions beginning with how, comment, como, etc., but those beginning with *where* or its equivalents.


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## Qcumber

I_like_my_TV said:


> Quite common in many countries in Asia: China, Japan, Vietnam, etc.


Examples, with transliterations in case of Chinese, Siamese, etc. would be welcome.


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## doman

Well, in Vietnamese, we use this form for greeting to wellknown people:

*"Đi đâu đấy ?"* Where are you going?

The answers:

*"Đi chơi !"* Hanging around !
*"Đi ra kia một lúc !"* Going overthere for a while!

And we have the other:

*"Ăn cơm chưa?"* Have you meals already?

Almost answers will be *"Rồi !"* means "Yes !"


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## I_like_my_TV

Qcumber said:
			
		

> Examples, with transliterations in case of Chinese, Siamese, etc. would be welcome.



*Chinese:*
你去哪儿/你上哪儿？
Ni3 qu4 nar3?/ Ni3 shang4 nar3？ (Where're you going?)
Reply (as vague or as specific as you'd like it to be): 
上街逛逛/去那儿走走...
shang4jie1 guang4guang4/ Qu4nar4 zou3zou3...(To town to have a look/Over there... )

*Japanese:*
お出掛けですか？
Odekake desuka? (Lit: Are you going out?)
Reply: ええ、あそこまで。。。
ee, asoko made...(Lit: just over there)

*Vietnamese:* please see post above


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## Qcumber

Thanks a lot, Doman and I_like.

In Chinese and Japanese, what are the standard replies?


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## I_like_my_TV

> In Chinese and Japanese, what are the standard replies?


Sorry for the omission, Qcumber. Info has now been added to the original post above.

Cheers,


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## panjabigator

How does this sound to Spanish natives?

"¿Cómo andas?


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## OldAvatar

Outsider said:


> Not quite the same, but in Portuguese and other Romance languages you ask literally "How do you go?" (_Como vai?_, _Comment allez-vous ?_, etc.)
> 
> Of course the idiomatic translation of this expression would be "How are you doing?", or simply "How are you?"
> 
> The reply is "Fine, thanks", etc.



Indeed, in Romanian is also used sometimes as *Cum (îţi) merge*? = How is it going (for you)?


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## Whodunit

In German, it is *not* possible to ask someone _where_ he/she is going. As far as I know, it is not common as a greeting in the Romance languages either. I'm not 100% sure about the other Germanic languages, but they should work the same as in German.


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## Whodunit

panjabigator said:


> How does this sound to Spanish natives?
> 
> "¿Cómo andas?


 


OldAvatar said:


> Indeed, in Romanian is also used sometimes as *Cum (îţi) merge*? = How is it going (for you)?


 
Please read what Qcumber wrote in his initial post:



Qcumber said:


> PLEASE, do not post about questions beginning with how. This thread is definitely about *where*.


 
There are *very* many languages that use _how_ in such a greeting, but the question is whether some use _where_ instead.


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## panjabigator

Whodunit said:


> Please read what Qcumber wrote in his initial post:
> 
> 
> 
> There are *very* many languages that use _how_ in such a greeting, but the question is whether some use _where_ instead.



Ahhh!  Thanks!


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## Maja

In Serbian, very informal:

- Gde si (or even more informal 'De si)? (Where are you?)
- Evo/tu, ti? (Here, you?)


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## Flaminius

> *Japanese:*
> お出掛けですか？
> Odekake desuka? (Lit: Are you going out?)
> Reply: ええ、あそこまで。。。
> ee, asoko made...(Lit: just over there)


The reply I usually hear (regional difference?) is;
ええ、ちょっとそこまで。
ee, chotto sokomade
(Yes, just there)


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## Qcumber

Maja said:


> In Serbian, very informal:
> 
> - Gde si (or even more informal 'De si)? (Where are you?)
> - Evo/tu, ti? (Here, you?)


This is striking. I thought this way of saying "hello" was limited to South-East Asia and the Far-East.
Are you sure it means "hello!", not "how are you?" ?


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## Qcumber

Flaminius said:


> The reply I usually hear (regional difference?) is;
> ええ、ちょっとそこまで。
> ee, chotto sokomade
> (Yes, just there)


Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog, Vietnamese belong to different language families. What could have made such different peoples adopt the same linguistic strategy?
Do you think it was spread by Chinese traders or that it is a behaviourial idiosycracy of this part of the world?


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## annietoes

In New Orleans, we have the "Yat" dialect - it's English but with a very strong nasal (some say Brooklyn-esque) accent - strongest with people from the Ninth Ward neighborhoods ("the Nint' Wawd") and St. Bernard Parish ("Saint Behnawd," also known as "Da Pahrish"). 

Anyway, a common greeting in New Orleans is "Where y'at?" (Where you at?) 

And it's answered as if you asked, "How are you doing?" - if someone says, "Where y'at?" the [stereotypical] Yat response is, "Awrite - how's ya mom 'n' dem?"

Incidentally, the "Yats" are called Yats because of this common greeting.


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## Qcumber

annietoes said:


> In New Orleans, we have the "Yat" dialect - [...] Anyway, a common greeting in New Orleans is "Where y'at?" (Where you at?) And it's answered as if you asked, "How are you doing?" - if someone says, "Where y'at?" the [stereotypical] Yat response is, "Awrite - how's ya mom 'n' dem?"


Extremely interesting, and there is apparently no influence from Far-Eastern people.

Of course one could always argue there were Filipinos and Fukien Chinese on the Spanish galleons from Manila to Acapulco, and that some may have migrated to what are today US territories, but were Spanish then, and from there to French Louisiana, but that would be quite far-fetched.

I should like to thank all the forumites who are contributing to this thread. I am amazed at some of the discoveries I'm making by reading your posts.


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## Joannes

Qcumber said:


> Of course one could always argue there were Filipinos and Fukien Chinese on the Spanish galleons from Manila to Acapulco, and that some may have migrated to what are today US territories, but were Spanish then, and from there to French Louisiana, but that would be quite far-fetched.


 
Quite far-fetched, indeed.  It doesn't seem to be an Asian thing exlusively: while doing some research for school, I happened to come across this phenomenon in a variety of Zoque spoken in Santa María Chimalapa, a small town in southern Oaxaca, Mexico.

As a greeting in public* it is common to ask *hum n?kpa?* 'where are you going?'. Conventional responses are (in Spanish) *a un mandado* 'on an errand' or *gahanaŋ* 'over there'.

*A common greeting among intimates is *?ëm ciŋŋám* 'Have you bathed?'

(Note on spelling: <?> is a glottal stop; <ë> is a shwa; <ŋ> is a velar nasal, like <ng> in *thing*)


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## Qcumber

Joannes said:


> this phenomenon in a variety of Zoque spoken in Santa María Chimalapa, a small town in southern Oaxaca, Mexico.
> As a greeting in public* it is common to ask *hum n?kpa?* 'where are you going?'. Conventional responses are (in Spanish) *a un mandado* 'on an errand' or *gahanaŋ* 'over there'.


Wow! Zoque is an Amerindian language!


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## Maja

Qcumber said:


> This is striking. I thought this way of saying "hello" was limited to South-East Asia and the Far-East.
> Are you sure it means "hello!", not "how are you?" ?


 It doesn't _mean _either "hello!" or "how are you?", but what I wrote  in brackets.
However it is used as an opening line, _instead _of  hello, when you meet smo in the street, etc. But, as I said, very informal usage  and that of youngsters.

Other "opening line" frequently used is: "Šta ima?"  (What's up).


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## Qcumber

Maja said:


> It doesn't _mean _either "hello!" or "how are you?", but what I wrote in brackets. However it is used as an opening line, _instead _of hello, when you meet smo in the street, etc. But, as I said, very informal usage and that of youngsters. Other "opening line" frequently used is: "Šta ima?" (What's up).


This is what I understood when I read your post.  What I wanted to know was whether it was a substitute for "hello" in informal Serbian. So it's just an opening line. Thanks a lot.


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## Athaulf

Maja said:


> It doesn't _mean _either "hello!" or "how are you?", but what I wrote  in brackets.
> However it is used as an opening line, _instead _of  hello, when you meet smo in the street, etc. But, as I said, very informal usage  and that of youngsters.



The same expression is also used throughout Bosnia and Croatia, and being highly informal and cordial, it's usually shortened in whatever way fits the local dialect best, e.g. _"đe si?"_, _"di si?"_, _"đez?"_, _"djes?"_, etc. Often it's also combined with locally popular interjections or expletives into what is essentially a single word (_"đezbolan?"_, _"disijebote?"_... ). 

The expression is indeed very informal, and using it with anyone except friends would be disrespectful and insulting (interestingly, it works the other way around too -- you would never use it to address someone whom you treat as inferior or subordinate). However, I wouldn't say that it's limited to youngsters. I've heard this expression used even between people in their eighties, so I'm pretty sure it's been around for quite a while. 



Qcumber said:


> This is what I understood when I read your post.  What I wanted to know was whether it was a substitute for "hello" in informal Serbian. So it's just an opening line. Thanks a lot.



Depending on the regional dialect and personal taste, it can be used instead of "hello". I certainly use it that way sometimes. When I meet an old friend whom I haven't seen in a long time, I'll usually use this expression in an entirely idiomatic sense, without expecting any direct answer to the "question" it poses.


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## Frank06

Hi,

As far as I know, it isn't used in Standard Dutch.
However, in my local (Belgian) Brabantian dialect, we do have the phrase 
"Nor waor heddet?" (or No wao heddet?) 
also/often used as a greeting (but it's a long time ago I heard it).
(Lit. Naar waar heb je het, To where have you it = Where are you going?)

Groetjes,

Frank


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## dodie

In Bahasa Indonesia:

Where are you going? = mau kemana?
How are you? = apa kabar?

In Javanese:

Where are you going? = arep menyang endi? (informal), badhe tindak pundi? (formal)
How are you? = piye kabare? (informal), kados pundi kabaripun? (formal)


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## Whodunit

dodie said:


> ini Bahasa Indonesia:
> 
> where are you going? = mau kemana?
> how are you? = apa kabar?
> 
> in Javanese:
> 
> where are you going? = arep menyang endi? (informal), badhe tindak pundi? (formal)
> how are you? = piye kabare? (informal), kados pundi kabaripun? (formal)


 
Dodie,

first let me welcome you to the forum. 

The question was not to translate the phrases _Where are you going?_ and _How are you?_, but whether the former can be used as an informal greeting like English _Hello!_


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## dodie

Hi Whodunit... thank you for the welcome 

Yes, for the translation that I wrote, we can use that as greeting in Indonesian in informal occasion...

I think it is my fault for only wrote the sentences without any explanation 

And for Javanese language, it is language used by Javanese, an ethnic in Indonesia. This language has several division.  For example when you talk with someone older than you or you want to be polite then you use the "formal" one... and if you talk with someone that you know well you can use the "informal" one.  Actually, the division is not formal and informal, but I can not find the suitable words ... or should I say "level"? I think I should make  a particular thread for Javanese language


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## Joannes

Frank06 said:


> Hi,
> 
> As far as I know, it isn't used in Standard Dutch.
> However, in my local (Belgian) Brabantian dialect, we do have the phrase
> "Nor waor heddet?" (or No wao heddet?)
> also/often used as a greeting (but it's a long time ago I heard it).
> (Lit. Naar waar heb je het, To where have you it = Where are you going?)
> 
> Groetjes,
> 
> Frank


 
I thought about that one too. But would you say it is used as an actual greeting? It's one of the first questions you could ask someone when meeting somewhere coincidentally, so I would agree that it's part of 'phatic communion', but I wouldn't say it's a greeting. It's something you would ask after a greeting (together with *hoe is 't?* and the like).

Also, the situation is important too. You couldn't ask this when someone rings at your door, for example, could you? (Which makes me wonder to what extent 'where are you going?' _could_ be used in such a situation in other languages.)


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## Qcumber

Joannes said:


> You couldn't ask this when someone rings at your door, for example, would you? (Which makes me wonder to what extent 'where are you going?' _could_ be used in such a situation in other languages.)


In Tagalog, the greeting *Saán ká púpuntá?* "Where are you going? Hello!" is only used when you meet someone.
Otherwise, on the phone for instance, people will use the English expressions "hello!", "hi!"
If you receive a call from an office, etc., the formula is: *Magandáng umágo pô. *"Good morning, Sir/madam/Ma'am.", etc.
As regards "How are you?", they say *Kumustá ká?* < Spanish _Como esta usted?_


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## gopu

In Marathi : 

we say "*kaay chaal-lay* ?" or "*kasa kaay* ?" or "*kaay mhaNtaay ?*" (similar to "what's up")

In context of "where are you going ?" It's uncommon to say that;and It is considered rude if you ask someone where is he/she going especially he's going for certain work.

It is rather asked as "*kuthhe chal-la aahaat ka* ?" 
meaning "are you going somewhere ?"


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## nhv1121

I have lived in Indonesia, and the greeting in the street was often "Ke mana, njonja?" (Where are you going, madam?) Children who wanted to practice their English often greeted you in the street with: "Hello mem, where are you going?" I never thought they really wanted to know where I was going so I responded with "Apa kabar?", literally meaning "What news?" and the answer to that would be "Kabar Baik" (Good News). In English we would ask "how are you" and reply "I'm fine."


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## panjabigator

gopu said:


> In Marathi :
> 
> we say "*kaay chaal-lay* ?" or "*kasa kaay* ?" or "*kaay mhaNtaay ?*" (similar to "what's up")
> 
> In context of "where are you going ?" It's uncommon to say that;and It is considered rude if you ask someone where is he/she going especially he's going for certain work.
> 
> It is rather asked as "*kuthhe chal-la aahaat ka* ?"
> meaning "are you going somewhere ?"



Is it an Indian trend in general to consider "where are you going" impolite?  When I was younger, I'd ask my father where'd he be off too, and he would often get annoyed with the question.  He told me that it was impolite to ask.  I guess perhaps it's a Desi thing...


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## Qcumber

Qcumber said:


> *Magandáng umágo pô. *"Good morning, Sir/madam/Ma'am."


Sorry, I have to quote myself to correct what I wrote because the "edit" button is disabled.
It's : Magandáng umága pô.


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## gopu

panjabigator said:


> Is it an Indian trend in general to consider "where are you going" impolite?  When I was younger, I'd ask my father where'd he be off too, and he would often get annoyed with the question.  He told me that it was impolite to ask.  I guess perhaps it's a Desi thing...





yes , we do think that as impolite.


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## Encolpius

Very interesting. I can remember only Romani: Kaj džas, more? [where are you going] = How are you?


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## sound shift

If a friend of mine approached me and said "Where are you going?" in English, I think I would take it literally, rather than as a greeting, and reply accordingly.


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## rusita preciosa

panjabigator said:


> Is it an Indian trend in general to consider "where are you going" impolite? When I was younger, I'd ask my father where'd he be off too, and he would often get annoyed with the question. He told me that it was impolite to ask. I guess perhaps it's a Desi thing...


Same in Russia - growing up, I was taught it was impolite not only to start with "where are you going?", but also ask later during an interaction (of course unless the conversation requires that). If absolutely necessary to ask, you were supposed to aks "are you going far?". 

There is even a retort to that rude question (it rhymes): 
- Куда идешь? (where are you going?)
- На кудыкину гору воровать помидоры (to the "Where' mountain to steal tomatoes)


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## Encolpius

Is is unbelievable it exists/existed in Russian (Russia)...


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## rusita preciosa

Encolpius said:


> Is is unbelievable it exists/existed in Russian (Russia)...


Do you mean directly asking "where are you going?" being considered rude?

I think in many societies very direct questions are considered rude such as "How old are you?', "Why are you / are you not married?", "How much do you make?", etc... Not that people don't ask these.


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## Encolpius

No, just that this form of greeting exists in Russia....in Hungarian I think it does not work....on the other hand if I start to think about it...it is a difficult question....but as I mentioned it is very typical for Romanis....


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## rusita preciosa

Encolpius said:


> No, just that this form of greeting exists in Russia....in Hungarian I think it does not work....on the other hand if I start to think about it...it is a difficult question....but as I mentioned it is very typical for Romanis....


That is a misunderstanding.

Just the opposite - not only that form of greeting *does not *exists in Russia, the question itself is considered rude (and especislly as a greeting).


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## Grefsen

sound shift said:


> If a friend of mine approached me and said "Where are you going?" in English, I think I would take it literally, rather than as a greeting, and reply accordingly.


I would also "take it literally" and would find it to be a bit strange if a friend said this without at least saying "Hi" to me first.


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