صباح الخير، كيف حالك
sabāḥ al-khayr, kayfa ḥāluk
The English phrase "good morning how are you" is translated into Arabic as صباح الخير، كيف حالك (sabāḥ al-khayr, kayfa ḥāluk).
This phrase is a polite greeting used in the morning to wish someone well and inquire about their current state.
How do you pronounce it?
sabāḥ al-khayr, kayfa ḥāluk
When do people say it?
A very common response to 'kayfa ḥāluk' is بخير، الحمد لله (bi-khayr, al-ḥamdu lillāh), which means "fine, praise be to God".
Did you know?
- The word حال in حالك, which relates to your 'condition' or 'state', is etymologically linked to the concept of becoming 'excessively dark'.
- In many Arabic-speaking cultures, it is common to repeat the greeting صباح الخير several times or exchange a long series of polite inquiries before getting to the main point of a conversation.
- While صباح الخير is standard, you might hear people respond with even more elaborate morning wishes like صباح النور, which literally means 'morning of light'.
Examples in context
- صباح الخير، كيف حالك؟sabāḥ al-khayr, kayfa ḥāluka?Good morning, how are you?
- صباح الخير، كيف حالك اليوم؟sabāḥ al-khayr, kayfa ḥāluka al-yawm?Good morning, how are you today?
Example conversation
Ziad meets Maryam at their office in the morning.
- زياد Ziadصباح الخير، كيف حالكِ يا مريم؟sabāḥ al-khayr, kayfa ḥāluki yā Maryam?Good morning, how are you, Maryam?
- مريم Maryamصباح النور، أنا بخير، شكراً.sabāḥ al-nūr, ana bikhayr, shukran.Good morning, I am well, thank you.
- زياد Ziadهل أنتِ مستعدة للعمل؟hal anti mustaʿidda lil-ʿamal?Are you ready for work?
- مريم Maryamنعم، أنا مستعدة جداً.naʿam, ana mustaʿidda jiddan.Yes, I am very ready.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries حالك, صباح, كيف, CC BY-SA 4.0.
