شپه مو په خیر
shpa mo pa khair
The English phrase "good night" is said in Pashto as شپه مو په خیر (shpa mo pa khair).
The phrase شپه مو په خیر is used as a farewell when parting ways at night or before going to sleep.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to "May your night be in goodness" or "May your night be with goodness."
How do you pronounce it?
shpa mo pa khair
Did you know?
- The word شپه for 'night' shares a distant linguistic ancestor with the English word 'sleep', stemming from the same Proto-Indo-European root.
- While شپه مو په خیر is the standard farewell, a common response is to return the blessing using the word امین ('amen'), treating the phrase as a short prayer.
- The word خیر (khair) used in the phrase is also a common term in Arabic, reflecting the deep influence of Islamic vocabulary on Pashto social etiquette.
Examples in context
- شپه مو په خیر.shpah mo pa khair.Good night.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Zala are saying goodbye before going to sleep.
- احمد Ahmedزالا، زه اوس ځم. شپه مو په خیر.Zala, ze os zam. shpa mo pa khair.Zala, I am going now. Good night.
- زالا Zalaمننه احمد، ستاسو شپه هم په خیر.manana Ahmed, staso shpa ham pa khair.Thank you Ahmed, good night to you too.
- احمد Ahmedدرnic مننه، په خیر اوسئ.dera manana, pa khair osay.Many thanks, stay well.
- زالا Zalaشپه مو په خیر!shpa mo pa khair!Good night!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries شپه, CC BY-SA 4.0.
