شب بخیر
shab ba-khair
The English phrase "good night" is translated into Urdu as شب بخیر (shab ba-khair).
شب بخیر 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?
The phrase is composed of shab (night) and ba-khair (with goodness/well-being).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
شب بخیر is a more formal and poetic way to say good night compared to colloquial alternatives.
How do you pronounce it?
shab ba-khair
Did you know?
- Because shab ba-khair is borrowed from Classical Persian, using it in a modern casual setting can sound as dramatic as a line from a period film.
- While شب بخیر is perfectly correct, many Urdu speakers in casual settings will simply say 'Allah Hafiz', which means 'May God be your protector', to say goodbye at any time of day.
- The phrase shab ba-khair follows a Persian construction that is mirrored in several other languages across the Middle East and South Asia.
Examples in context
- شب بخیر۔Good night.This sentence is useful for seeing the use of شب بخیر.Tatoeba #9020891 by nusrat, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
- اب سونے کا وقت ہے، شب بخیر۔Ab sone ka waqt hai, shab bakhair.It is time to sleep now, good night.
- اللہ حافظ اور شب بخیر۔Allah hafiz aur shab bakhair.Goodbye and good night.
Example conversation
Sara and Hamza are finishing a phone call late at night.
- سارہ Saraبہت دیر ہو گئی ہے، اب میں سو رہی ہوں۔Bohat der ho gayi hai, ab mein so rahi hoon.It is very late, I am going to sleep now.
- حمزہ Hamzaٹھیک ہے، شب بخیر، سارہ۔Theek hai, shab bakhair, Sara.Okay, good night, Sara.
- سارہ Saraشب بخیر، حمزہ۔Shab bakhair, Hamza.Good night, Hamza.
- حمزہ Hamzaخدا حافظ۔Khuda hafiz.Goodbye.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
