What does it mean word for word?
The phrase كل شيء على ما يرام literally translates to 'everything is on what is intended' or 'everything is as it should be'.
Which one should you use?
While كل شيء على ما يرام is a standard way to express that all is well, you might also use كُلُّ شَيْءٍ بِخَيْرٍ to mean 'everything is good' or كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُمْتَازٌ to mean 'everything is excellent'. In many Arabic dialects, such as Egyptian or Levantine, speakers are more likely to use the colloquial كل شيء تمام to express that everything is fine or perfect.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
كل شيء على ما يرام is a formal phrasing most commonly found in Modern Standard Arabic rather than spoken dialects. For other formal options, كُلُّ شَيْءٍ بِخَيْرٍ (everything is good) and كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُمْتَازٌ (everything is excellent) are also used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can use كويس، الحمدلله to mean 'fine, praise be to God'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase كل شيء على ما يرام, the subject كل شيء (kullu shay'in) is a masculine singular noun phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
kullu shay'in 'ala ma yuram
Did you know?
- In spoken dialects, the word تمام used in كل شيء تمام is a loanword from the Ottoman Turkish tamam, which originally meant 'complete' or 'finished'.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, saying everything is fine is often paired with الحمدلله, meaning 'praise be to God', as a social reflex regardless of the speaker's religion.
- The word كل in this phrase is inherited from Proto-Semitic and shares a common ancient ancestor with the Akkadian word kalûm.
Examples in context
- كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُمْتَازٌ. الحمد لله، كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مُمْتَازٌThank God, everything is excellent.
- كل شيء على ما يرام في العمل.kull shay' 'ala ma yuram fi al-'amal.Everything is well at work.
- لا تقلق، كل شيء على ما يرام.la taqlaq, kull shay' 'ala ma yuram.Don't worry, everything is well.
- هل أنت بخير؟ نعم، كل شيء على ما يرام.hal anta bikhayr? na'am, kull shay' 'ala ma yuram.Are you okay? Yes, everything is well.
Example conversation
Sara asks Ahmed about his new job.
- سارة Saraكيف تسير الأمور في عملك الجديد يا أحمد؟Kayfa tasir al-umur fi 'amalika al-jadid ya Ahmed?How are things going at your new job, Ahmed?
- أحمد Ahmedشكراً لسؤالك، كل شيء على ما يرام.Shukran li-su'aliki, kullu shay'in 'ala ma yuram.Thanks for asking, all is well.
- سارة Saraهذا خبر رائع حقاً!Hadha khabar ra'i' haqqan!That is truly great news!
- أحمد Ahmedنعم، أنا مرتاح جداً هناك.Na'am, ana murtah jiddan hunak.Yes, I am very comfortable there.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries على, كل, ما, CC BY-SA 4.0.
