Maayong Gabii
The English phrase 'good night' is translated to Bisaya as Maayong Gabii.
Maayong Gabii is used both as a greeting when arriving in the evening and as a farewell when leaving or going to sleep.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of maayo (good) and gabii (night), joined by the linker -ng.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective maayo takes the linker -ng to connect to the noun gabii.
Did you know?
- The word gabii is inherited from the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word *ʀabiqi, making it a linguistic relative to terms for 'night' in other Austronesian languages across the Pacific.
- The word maayo is incredibly versatile and can also mean 'well', 'skilled', or even 'to heal' depending on the sentence structure.
- While 'Maayong Gabii' is the standard translation, many locals simply say 'Gabii na' to imply it is late and time to part ways.
Examples in context
- Pahuway na, mga higala! Salamat sa inyong maayong kompanya. Magkita-kita ta ugma!Rest now, my friends! Thank you for the enjoyable company. See you tomorrow!
- Maayong Gabii kaninyong tanan.Good night to you all.
- Maayong Gabii, lola.Good night, grandma.
- Maayong Gabii, matulog na ko.Good night, I am going to sleep now.
Example conversation
Elena and Ricardo are saying goodbye before going to bed.
- ElenaHapit na ko matulog, Ricardo.I am almost asleep, Ricardo.
- RicardoSige, Elena. Maayong gabii.Okay, Elena. Good night.
- ElenaMaayong gabii pud.Good night too.
- RicardoDamgo og maayo.Have a good dream.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gabii, CC BY-SA 4.0.
