'Qabo' means 'to have' or 'to hold'. 'Ma nabad qabtaa' means 'How are you/How's things'. Notice the ending 'qabtaa'. This is the present habitual that we covered before. So it literally means 'Are you having/holding peace?'.
So there are several ways of asking how someone is in Somali.
Ma ladantahay?
Ma nabad qabtaa?
Sideed tahay? (or just 'Seetahay?')
Ma fiicantahay?
All these phrases roughly mean 'Are you OK/How things?'. When you talk to a Somali, often they will start with one phrase, then move to the next and the next. (It can get a little tedious:)
Another phrase used with 'qabtaa' is,
Su'aal ma qabtaa? - Do you have a question?
If you want to say you have a question, then you say,
Su'aal baan qabaa - I have a question
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