il-lejla t-tajba
The English phrase "good evening" is translated into Maltese as il-lejla t-tajba or bonasira.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
Ways to say it
| Maltese | IPA |
|---|---|
| il-lejla t-tajba | |
| bonasira | /bɔ.naˈsiː.ra/ |
il-lejla t-tajba is more frequently used as a way to say "good night" when someone is going to sleep or leaving for the night, rather than just a greeting.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase il-lejla t-tajba literally translates to "the night the good" (the good night).
Did you know?
- If you use il-lejla t-tajba to greet someone arriving at a party, they might think you are telling them to go to sleep immediately.
- The word bonasira is a direct linguistic relative of the Italian 'buonasera' and the Sicilian 'bonasira', reflecting the deep historical ties between Malta and Sicily.
- The word tajba in il-lejla t-tajba comes from a root meaning 'good' or 'kind', which is also used in Maltese to describe a person's gentle character.
Examples in context
- Il-lejla t-tajba.Good evening.This sentence demonstrates how to use il-lejla t-tajba.Tatoeba #3231551 by biber, translation #333156 by Aurix
Example conversation
Andre and Elena meet at a restaurant in the evening.
- AndreIl-lejla t-tajba, Elena!Good evening, Elena!
- ElenaIl-lejla t-tajba, Andre!Good evening, Andre!
- AndreKif inti l-aħħar?How have you been lately?
- ElenaTajjeb, grazzi!Good, thank you!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries bonasira, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bonasira, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
