How do you spell the informal greeting: bpen yang ngai (or bpen yang ngai baang)?

Thank you.

Xangsamhua

เป็นยังไง

I think that more usually used is

เป็นยังไงบ้าง > pen yang ngai bang > what's up? / How do you do? / How is it going?

Short form: ยังไง yang ngai

Edited July 11, 200817 yr by riga

เป็นยังไง

I think that more usually used is

เป็นยังไงบ้าง > pen yang ngai bang > what's up? / How do you do? / How is it going?

Short form: ยังไง yang ngai

Riga is correct however, it should perhaps be pointed out that this phrase is very informal and should not be used out of context or in any form of 'official' correspondence.

AjarnP

เป็นยังไง

I think that more usually used is

เป็นยังไงบ้าง > pen yang ngai bang > what's up? / How do you do? / How is it going?

Short form: ยังไง yang ngai

Riga is correct however, it should perhaps be pointed out that this phrase is very informal and should not be used out of context or in any form of 'official' correspondence.

AjarnP

Thank you.

Xangsamhua

Sorry AjarnP , I didn't mentioned the fact that it's an informal sentence because it was already mentioned by the OP.

But better to underline it for other members that reads distractely

The shortened form is ว่าไง, ยังไง just means how. Although, I agree with the comments about informality. It's like saying "alright geezer" to the vicar.

To me the difference between

เป็นยังไง

and

เป็นยังไงบ้าง

is more like "How are you?" and "How are you doing?" or "How have you been?" In that the บ้าง suggests that there is more than one thing in the reply.

Edited July 11, 200817 yr by withnail

The shortened form is ว่าไง, ยังไง just means how.

Hi withnail.

in my previous post I mentioned the short form of informal greetings ยังไง yang ngai.

In your post you added ว่าไง waa ngai which I think it's not a greetings but an informal sentence

used to ask "what have you said?"

Has this expression multiple uses or my interpretation is incorrect?

Edited July 12, 200817 yr by riga

The shortened form is ว่าไง, ยังไง just means how.

Hi withnail.

in my previous post I mentioned the short form of informal greetings ยังไง yang ngai.

In your post you added ว่าไง waa ngai which I think it's not a greetings but an informal sentence

used to ask "what have you said?"

Has this expression multiple uses or my interpretation is incorrect?

I agree with Withnail; sometimes ว่าไง is used as a very informal greeting among friends (although I though I have heard it articulated, "ว่ายังไง". In other words, such a statement by-passes the formalities of greetings and gets right to the point, asking, in effect, "What do you have to say?" I would say its the equivalent of "Hey, what's goin' on?", "Wa's up?", as has been noted above.

The shortened form is ว่าไง, ยังไง just means how.

Hi withnail.

in my previous post I mentioned the short form of informal greetings ยังไง yang ngai.

In your post you added ว่าไง waa ngai which I think it's not a greetings but an informal sentence

used to ask "what have you said?"

Has this expression multiple uses or my interpretation is incorrect?

I agree with Withnail; sometimes ว่าไง is used as a very informal greeting among friends (although I though I have heard it articulated, "ว่ายังไง". In other words, such a statement by-passes the formalities of greetings and gets right to the point, asking, in effect, "What do you have to say?" I would say its the equivalent of "Hey, what's goin' on?", "Wa's up?", as has been noted above.

I would agree with you here David, my girlfriend often answers the telephone with "ว่าไง" when she is familiar with the person on the other end of the line.

The shortened form is ว่าไง, ยังไง just means how.

Hi withnail.

in my previous post I mentioned the short form of informal greetings ยังไง yang ngai.

In your post you added ว่าไง waa ngai which I think it's not a greetings but an informal sentence

used to ask "what have you said?"

Has this expression multiple uses or my interpretation is incorrect?

You're right, and yes it is another use of the expression.

or เป็นไงบ้าง?

ไง?

In addition to the foregoing, I thought เขาว่าไง meant "What did he (she) say (or think)?"

In addition to the foregoing, I thought เขาว่าไง meant "What did he (she) say (or think)?"

Your assumption is 100% correct

"To me the difference between เป็นยังไง and เป็นยังไงบ้าง is more like "How are you?" and "How are you doing?" or "How have you been?" In that the บ้าง suggests that there is more than one thing in the reply."

Pretty much the same for me, though I think for the former, I'd even use the slang (US) 'Howzit?' The streetness of the phrase kind of translates to exactly where you would n wouldn't use it - ie with a higher-up, someone of respect. When you use the latter, to me it's more like 'How're things?, or What's the latest?' Not literal translations, but again the intended meaning, n street sound to the ear -both a little nicer than the first, but still definitely not the most polite way of saying things...except with familiars/ equals/ inferiors.

เขาว่าไง - correctly translated, and ever-so-informal. Use for local n street cred, but never with people of authority/ higher-ups.... though you might hear them using it in a rant wondering why things are going wrong, or who thinks what. For villagers it can be just fine. For people of refinement it often shows some upset where social mores are dropped for the moment. No disrespect towards any villagers, they're some of my favorite ppl - I don't necessarily buy into the whole class thing. Just saying for usage's sake.

It don't think the following sentence is "very" informal:

คุณเป็นยังไง

It's just taking language and can also be used with for instance your boss. But you shouldn't use it as writing language. The written form is:

คุณเป็นอย่างไร

If you want to be more polite you could ask:

คุณสบายดีไหม

The expression can be used also to ask how something went, i.e if someone you know was in a competition or had an exam etc you could say เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง exam/race/etc เมื่อวานนี้/สุดสัปดาห์ที่แล้ว etc. This wouldnt be too formal.

But as a general greeting to someone you dont know very well i wouldnt recommend it as per some of the other posts.

Yeah i'd agree with that. One of my thai teachers would always ask me เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง after i had taught her class to find out how they were/behaved/got on etc.

It was always used in a friendly manner.

There is one very common phrase that seems to be expressly forbidden for all foreigners: อะไรวะ

It may be codified in the law books that only natural born citizens are allowed to utter that one.

Yeah i'd agree with that. One of my thai teachers would always ask me เป็นอย่างไรบ้าง after i had taught her class to find out how they were/behaved/got on etc.

It was always used in a friendly manner.

I always assumed that เป็นอย่างไร was the proper (textbook) way to say "how is it," but that it was often contracted to เป็นยังไง in speech, and then found its way into writing (sort of like the misspelling of ไหม as มั้ย). Is this correct?

Yes, more or less.