كل شيء تمام
kull shay' tamām
The English phrase "all good" is translated into Arabic as كل شيء تمام (kull shay' tamām).
كل شيء تمام is used to express that everything is all good. It is a common response to the question "How are you?" or can be used to confirm that a situation is under control.
Meaning: all good (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down into kull meaning "all/every", shay' meaning "thing" and tamām meaning "perfect/fine/complete".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
كل شيء تمام is a colloquial phrasing. While it is understood across the Arab world, it is more common in spoken dialects than in strictly formal Modern Standard Arabic. For formal situations, you may use كُلُّ شَيْءٍ بِخَيْرٍ or كُلُّ شَيْءٍ عَلَى مَا يُرَامُ to mean everything is good.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different regional dialects have their own ways to say everything is good: in Egyptian Arabic, you can use كله تمام and in Levantine Arabic, كلو تمام is used to express all good.
How do you pronounce it?
kull shay' tamām
Did you know?
- The word تمام (tamām) is a cognate of the Hebrew word תָּמִים (tamím), reflecting a shared ancient linguistic root between the two languages.
- In some contexts, saying تمام with a specific rising intonation can turn the phrase 'all good' into a skeptical question meaning 'Is that so?'
- While كل شيء تمام is common in conversation, using the formal كُلُّ شَيْءٍ بِخَيْرٍ in a casual setting can make you sound like a character from a classical news broadcast or a historical novel.
Examples in context
- كل شيء على ما يُرام، شكراً!Everything is good, thank you!
- كل شيء تمام، لا تقلق.kull shay' tamam, la taqlaq.All good, don't worry.
- نعم، كل شيء تمام في الغرفة.na'am, kull shay' tamam fi al-ghurfa.Yes, all good in the room.
Example conversation
Ziad asks Mariam about the status of her work.
- زياد Ziadيا مريم، هل انتهيتِ من العمل؟ya Mariam, hal antahayti min al-'amal?Mariam, have you finished the work?
- مريم Maryamنعم، كل شيء تمام الآن.na'am, kull shay' tamam al-an.Yes, all good now.
- زياد Ziadهل تحتاجين إلى مساعدة؟hal tahtajina ila musa'ada?Do you need any help?
- مريم Maryamشكراً يا زياد، أنا بخير.shukran ya Ziad, ana bikhayr.Thanks Ziad, I am fine.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries تمام, كل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
