A Few Words in isiZulu: Unjani? Ngiyapila

Unjani- How are you?
Ngiyapila- I am well or in good health
Grammar: The above words are for greeting one person and replying about one’s self. However, if you are asking a group of people how they are, you say, “Ninjani?” If you are replying for a group of people, or even regarding your family as well, you would say, “Siyapila.”
Comments: I often greet people first, whether in the US or in South Africa. However, I usually do not ask strangers how they are. Yet, when I ask or a person asks me, the person’s eyes usually light up, presumably because I know enough isiZulu to ask how they are, to show that I care about them.