هل أنت بخير؟
hal anta bikhayr?
To ask are you good? In Arabic, meaning are you well or are you okay, say هل أنت بخير؟ (hal anta bikhayr?).
It asks directly whether someone is well or safe.
What does it mean word for word?
هل marks a yes or no question, أنت means you and بخير (bikhayr) means well, literally in goodness.
Which one should you use?
The question is about well-being. To ask if someone is a good person, Arabic uses tayyib instead. For a general how are you, كيف حالك؟ is more common.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egypt the casual how are you is أزيك؟, and in Lebanon you may hear كيفك صحّتك؟, how's your health.
How does it change in a sentence?
أنتَ (anta) is for a man. To a woman say هل أنتِ بخير؟, with anti.
When do people say it?
A natural reply is بخير، شكراً (bikhayr, shukran), well, thanks.
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, the response to هل أنت بخير؟ often includes a phrase praising God, such as الحمد لله ('alhamdulillah'), regardless of whether the person is actually feeling well.
- To signal sincerity and gratitude when answering this question, some speakers perform a physical gesture of placing their right hand over their heart.
- The question particle هل ('hal') is actually a combination of an ancient interrogative sound and an affirmative particle used to emphasize truth.
Examples in context
- مرحباً، شلونك؟Hello, how are you?
- كيف الحال؟How's it going?
- هل أنت بخير؟hal anta bikhayr?Are you okay?
- يبدو أنك متعب، هل أنت بخير؟yabdu annaka mut'ab, hal anta bikhayr?You look tired, are you okay?
Example conversation
Ahmed sees Sarah looking distressed in the office.
- أحمد Ahmedسارة، هل أنت بخير؟Sarah, hal anti bikhayr?Sarah, are you okay?
- سارة Saraنعم، أنا بخير، شكراً يا أحمد.na'am, ana bikhayr, shukran ya Ahmad.Yes, I am fine, thank you Ahmed.
- أحمد Ahmedلقد بدوتِ قلقة جداً.laqad badawti qaliqa jiddan.You looked very worried.
- سارة Saraمجرد يوم طويل ومرهق.mujarrad yawm tawil wa murhiq.Just a long and tiring day.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أنت, هل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
