Why English speakers say kifak to a woman

English "how are you" is one frozen form for everyone, so English speakers naturally look for a single Lebanese phrase and land on kifak for the whole world. But Lebanese splits the greeting by who you are talking to.

The ending points at the listener. kifak is to a man, kifik is to a woman. It has nothing to do with you, the speaker, so saying kifak to a woman is the classic slip.

Then the reply flips the logic. The answer mni7 / mni7a (fine) agrees with the SPEAKER's own gender. Because English "fine" never changes, learners say mni7 about themselves regardless, but a woman must say mni7a.

And there is no "are." kifak? is literally "how you?" with no verb, so resist the urge to smuggle in a form of "to be."

• To a man: kifak? — he replies mni7, el7amdilla.
• To a woman: kifik? — she replies mni7a, el7amdilla.
• A woman greeting a man: kifak? and answers about herself ana mni7a.

Hold two questions in your head: the ending on kif- points OUT at the person in front of you; the ending on mni7- points BACK at you.

Say it with me: kifak? — mni7 (to and from a man), then kifik? — mni7a (to and from a woman).