تصبح على خير
tuṣbiḥ ʿalā khayr
In Arabic, "gn" (good night) is expressed as تصبح على خير (tuṣbiḥ ʿalā khayr).
تصبح على خير is used as a farewell before going to sleep. While it functions as the standard equivalent to the English "good night" when parting ways at night, it is phrased as a wish for the person's state upon waking.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "may you wake up to goodness" or "may you become upon goodness".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on whom you are addressing. Use تصبح على خير when speaking to a man, تصبحي على خير when speaking to a woman and تصبحوا على خير when speaking to a group of people.
How do you pronounce it?
tuṣbiḥ ʿalā khayr
When do people say it?
The standard response to تصبح على خير is وأنت من أهله, which means "and you are among its people".
Did you know?
- The word على in the phrase, which means 'upon', shares the same ancient Semitic roots as the Hebrew word עַל ('al).
- The standard response وأنت من أهله treats 'goodness' as a place or a community with its own 'people' أهله.
- In many Arabic dialects, instead of a formal wish, people might simply say تصبح على ألف خير, which adds 'a thousand' before 'goodness' to amplify the blessing.
Examples in context
- تصميمTasmeem
- تصبح على خير يا صديقي.tusbih 'ala khayr ya sadiqi.Good night, my friend.
- تصبح على خير، أراك غداً.tusbih 'ala khayr, araka ghadan.Good night, see you tomorrow.
- تصبح على خير يا أخي.tusbih 'ala khayr ya akhi.Good night, my brother.
Example conversation
A phone call between two friends late at night.
- ليلى Laylaكان وقتاً ممتعاً، تصبح على خير يا عمر.kana waqtan mumti'an, tusbih 'ala khayr ya 'umar.It was a fun time, good night, Omar.
- عمر Omarوأنت من أهل الخير يا ليلى.wa anti min ahl al-khayr ya layla.And good night to you too, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaأحلاماً سعيدة.ahlaman sa'ida.Sweet dreams.
- عمر Omarشكراً، مع السلامة.shukran, ma'a al-salama.Thank you, goodbye.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries على, CC BY-SA 4.0.
