शुभ प्रभात
subha prabhat
The English phrase "good morning" is translated into Nepali as शुभ प्रभात (subha prabhat).
शुभ प्रभात is used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of शुभ (subha) meaning "auspicious" or "good" and प्रभात (prabhat) meaning "dawn" or "morning".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
शुभ प्रभात is a formal way to say Good Morning. It is often used in media, literature or formal announcements rather than in casual daily conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
subha prabhat
What mistakes should you avoid?
In most everyday social situations, Nepali speakers are more likely to use नमस्ते (Namaste) as a universal greeting at any time of day, including the morning, rather than the literal translation of 'good morning'.
Did you know?
- In Nepal, the gesture of placing palms together (Anjali Mudra) accompanies greetings like नमस्ते and शुभ प्रभात. The height of the hands relative to the face can indicate the level of respect given to the other person.
- Unlike English, where 'morning' is a neutral time of day, the use of शुभ in शुभ प्रभात transforms the greeting into a blessing for the person's entire day to be auspicious.
- While शुभ प्रभात is the literal translation, if you use it to greet a friend on the street, they might think you are reciting a poem or acting in a television drama.
Examples in context
- शुभ प्रभात!Good morning!This example shows how to use शुभ प्रभात as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #1897956 by LanguageExpert, translation #329713 by YURY0608
- तपाईंलाई शुभ प्रभात, रिता!Good morning, Rita!
- सुप्रभात, गोपी!Good morning, Gopi!
- तपाईँलाई शुभ प्रभात।tapā'īnlā'ī shubha prabhāta.Good morning to you.
Example conversation
Anita and Avinash meet at the office entrance.
- अनीता Anitaशुभ प्रभात, अविनाश!Shubha prabhat, Avinash!Good morning, Avinash!
- अविनाश Avinashशुभ प्रभात, अनीता!Shubha prabhat, Anita!Good morning, Anita!
- अनीता Anitaतपाईंलाई कस्तो छ?Tapailai kasto cha?How are you?
- अविनाश Avinashमलाई ठीक छ, धन्यवाद।Malai thik cha, dhanyabad.I am fine, thank you.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
