تحسن
tahassana
In Arabic, "get better" is expressed as تحسن (tahassana).
The verb تحسن is used both to describe the improvement of a situation, such as an economy and the recovery of one's health.
Which one should you use?
تحسن is an intransitive verb, which means it does not take a direct object to describe what is being improved.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that a group of people improved or got better, you can use the masculine plural form تحسنوا.
How do you pronounce it?
tahassana
Did you know?
- When someone is getting better, a common cultural gesture is to avoid saying 'you are fully cured' too early to prevent 'the evil eye' from reversing the progress.
- The root of تحسن (t-h-s-n) is closely related to the word for 'beauty' or 'goodness', implying that getting better is a process of becoming more beautiful or excellent.
- In many Arabic dialects, when wishing someone gets better, people say بالسلامة (bi-salāma), which translates to 'with safety' or 'with peace'.
Examples in context
- مَتَى تَشْفَى؟ اِشْفَى سَرِيعًا!When will you get better? Get well soon!
- أُمِّي تُرِيدُكَ أَنْ تَعْلَمَ أَنَّ رُبَّنَا يَشْفِيك. رُبَّنَا يَشْفِيك!Mom wants you to know that God will heal you. May God heal you!
- هل تحسن مستوى العمل؟hal tahassan mustawa al-'amal?Has the quality of the work improved?
- أريد أن تحسن حالتي الصحية.uridu an tahassana halati al-sahiya.I want my health to get better.
- تحسن الطقس اليوم.tahassana al-taqs al-yawm.The weather got better today.
Example conversation
Ziad is visiting Nour who has been sick.
- زياد Ziadكيف تشعرين اليوم يا نور؟kayfa tash-urina al-yawm ya Nour?How are you feeling today, Nour?
- نور Nourأشعر أنني بدأت تحسن قليلاً.ash-uru annani bada'tu tahassun qalilan.I feel that I have started to get better a little.
- زياد Ziadهذا خبر جيد جداً.hadha khabar jayyid jiddan.That is very good news.
- نور Nourشكراً لك يا زياد على زيارتك.shukran laka ya Ziad ala ziyaratika.Thank you, Ziad, for your visit.
