Video and Text by daybreakwarrior

When people want to learn conversational Navajo, they always want to learn how to say, “How are you doing?” There are ways to say this, namely:

Hait’áo naniná?
Haa lá ánít’é?

You can ask these but they’re not usually conversation starters. These are used if you know the person is not emotionally doing well or physically sick or something.

A better way to begin a conversation is to use the starter, “Áá'” This phrase literally means “open up,” but can also mean like, “tell me about it.” It can be used alone in the right scenario or used in combination with starter questions:

Áá’ ha’íí baa naniná?
What are you doing?

Áá’ ha’íí baa nídinídzá?
What will you be doing?

Áá’ ha’íí baa nisíníyá?
What were you doing?

Áá’ háágóó díníya?
Where are you going?

Áá’ háágóó nisíníyá?
Where did you go?

Áá’ háádé?é?’?
Where are you from?

Áá’ háádé?é?’ísh yínáál?
Where you coming from?

Áá’ ha’íí baa dahane’?
What’s the news?

Áá’ ha’íí daha’ní?
What’s the gossip?

Áá’ ha’íí hodoo’niid?
What was said?

Áá’ ha’íí?
What’s up?

Video and Text by daybreakwarrior