صباح الخير
ṣabāḥ al-khayreveryday
To say good morning to a guy in Arabic, use صباح الخير (ṣabāḥ al-khayr). The greeting is the same for any gender, and the reply is صباح النور (ṣabāḥ an-nūr). Adding يا صديقي (yā ṣadīqī), "my friend", makes it friendly. It is also called صباح الخير يا صديقي (ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā ṣadīqī).
Meaning: morning greeting to a man (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| صباح الخير | ṣabāḥ al-khayr | everyday |
| صباح النور | ṣabāḥ an-nūr | reply |
| صباح الخير يا صديقي | ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā ṣadīqī | friendly |
Use his name or a title after it, as in صباح الخير يا أحمد (ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā Aḥmad). Among men يا زلمة (yā zalame) in the Levant or يا باشا (yā bāshā) in Egypt are casual extras.
How does it change in a sentence?
Unlike night greetings, this one has no gender ending, so you can say it to a man, a woman or a group in the same words.
Did you know?
- The greeting and its reply form a pair: الخير (al-khayr) "goodness" is answered by النور (an-nūr) "light".
Examples in context
- صباح الخير يا أحمدṣabāḥ al-khayr yā AḥmadGood morning, Ahmed
- صباح النور، كيف حالك؟ṣabāḥ an-nūr, kayfa ḥāluk?Good morning, how are you?
Example conversation
Hussein greets his coworker Majid at the office in Riyadh.
- Husseinصباح الخير يا ماجد.Ṣabāḥ al-khayr yā Mājid.Good morning, Majid.
- Majidصباح النور يا حسين.Ṣabāḥ an-nūr yā Ḥusayn.Good morning, Hussein.
- Husseinكيف حالك اليوم؟Kayfa ḥāluk al-yawm?How are you today?
