How to Say "Good Night" in Yiddish

אַ גוטע נאַכט

a gute nakht/a ˈɡʊtə naχt/

In Yiddish, "good night" is said as אַ גוטע נאַכט (a gute nakht).

Like in English, this phrase is used as a farewell when parting for the evening or before going to sleep.

Meaning: a farewell (phrase)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the indefinite article אַ (a), the adjective גוטע (good) and the noun נאַכט (night).

The adjective גוטע takes the feminine singular ending to agree with the feminine noun נאַכט.

a gute nakht

Because Yiddish uses a hybrid alphabet, the phrase אַ גוטע נאַכט is written using Hebrew letters but is pronounced as a Germanic language.
The word אַ is related to the Bavarian 'a', reflecting the South German dialects that heavily influenced the development of Yiddish.
The spelling of נאַכט uses a 'kh' sound (represented by the letter כ) which is a guttural sound similar to the 'ch' in the Scottish word 'loch'.

אַ גוטע נאַכט, טאַטאָעבע.
Good night, Tatoeba.
This sentence is useful for seeing the phrase used with a name.
Tatoeba #9553718 by shekitten, translation #9553712 by shekitten
„אַ גוטע נאַכט, טאָם.” ― „אַ גוט יאָר, מערי.”
"Good night, Tom." "Good night, Mary."
This example shows how the phrase can be used in a short exchange.
Tatoeba #9553732 by shekitten, translation #9553722 by shekitten
אַ גוטע נאַכט.
Good night.
This example shows the phrase used as a standalone greeting.
Tatoeba #7886539 by shekitten, translation #2362724 by NotApplicable
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Miriam and Avraham are finishing their dinner and going to bed.

מרים Miriam

איך גיי שוין שלאפן.
Ikh gey shoyn shlofn.
I am going to sleep now.
אברהם Avraham

אַ גוטע נאַכט, מרים!
A gute nakht, Miriam!
Good night, Miriam!
מרים Miriam

אַ גוטע נאַכט צו דיר אויך, אברהם.
A gute nakht tsu dir oykh, Avraham.
Good night to you too, Avraham.
אברהם Avraham

זענען שוין שלאפן.
Zenen shoyn shlofn.
Go to sleep now.

Sources

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