Komusta
It’s World Hello Day, so here’s one of the most important & essential Kapampángan words! How do you say “hello” in your language?
KÓMUSTA • (KOH-moos-tuh)
Hello; How are you?
Can be shortened to: musta
Etymology: Spanish ¿cómo está? “How are you?”
Tagálog: kumustá [standard], kamustá [non-standard]
Common Greeting:
Kómustá na ka? [Kap]
Kumustá ka na? [Tag]
How are you* now? / How have you* been? [Eng]
*singular “you”
Usage and Etymology:
“Kómusta” can be shortened to “musta” colloquially.
This word comes from the Spanish phrase ¿cómo está? which means “How are you?”.
Due to colonization, Kapampángan borrowed many words from Spanish, which accounts for most of its non-Austronesian vocabulary. It is also one of the most Spanish-influenced among the Philippine languages, along with other major urban regional languages such as Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, etc.
Verb Conjugation:
“to send regards, to ask how someone is doing”
mangómusta, mángómusta, méngómusta – actor focus
kómustan, kokómustan, kinómusta – object focus
Example Sentence:
Mángómustá la ring kamagának mu. [Kap]
Nangúngumusta ang mgá kamag-ának mo. [Tag]
Your relatives are asking how you’re doing. [Eng]