Ways to say it
| Egyptian Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| روح نام | rouh nam | to a male |
| روحي نامي | rouhi nami | to a female |
Said to a female, it becomes rouhi nami. To a child especially, Egyptians often soften it with يالا at the start: يالا روح نام, 'come on, go to sleep'.
What does it mean word for word?
روح means 'go' and نام means 'sleep', combined as two commands said together.
Which one should you use?
There is no separate polite or casual version, روح نام/روحي نامي is the normal, direct way to tell someone, usually a child or close family member, to go to bed.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is an informal command, used with children, siblings or a spouse rather than in a formal setting.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both verbs change with the gender of the person addressed: rouh nam to a man, rouhi nami to a woman, and rouhoo namoo to a group.
How do you pronounce it?
نام rhymes with the English word 'arm', said with a long open vowel.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using this blunt double command with an adult stranger or in a formal context would sound inappropriate, it is meant for close family, especially children.
When do people say it?
Egyptian parents commonly follow روح نام with a short goodnight blessing, such as ربنا يحرسك, 'may God watch over you'.
Did you know?
- The goodnight reply تصبح على خير, 'may you wake to goodness', is answered with the same phrase back or with وانت من أهله, 'and you too'.
- Parents in Egypt often add a short blessing like ربنا يحرسك right after telling a child to go to sleep, as a routine bedtime habit.
Examples in context
- يالا روح نام، بقى وقت متأخر.yalla rouh nam, ba'a wa't mut'akhar.Come on, go to sleep, it's gotten late.
- روحي نامي يا حبيبتي، بكرة مدرسة.rouhi nami ya habibti, bokra madrasa.Go to sleep, my dear, there's school tomorrow.
- لازم تنام بدري النهاردة.lazem tenam badri en-naharda.You need to sleep early today.
Example conversation
Hala tells her son Omar it's time for bed.
- Halaيالا يا عمر، روح نام دلوقتي.yalla ya Omar, rouh nam dilwa'ti.Come on, Omar, go to sleep now.
- Omarبس عايز أكمل اللعبة يا ماما.bas ayez akammel el-lo'ba ya mama.But I want to finish the game, mom.
- Halaلا يا حبيبي، بكرة مدرسة بدري.la ya habibi, bokra madrasa badri.No, my dear, there's school early tomorrow.
- Omarماشي، تصبحي على خير.mashi, tesbahi ala kheir.Okay, good night.
