تصبح على خير
The English phrase goodnight is expressed in Arabic as تصبح على خير.
The phrase تصبح على خير is used specifically when someone is going to sleep or when parting ways late at night.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means 'May you become/wake up upon goodness' or 'May you become upon goodness'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, you can say تصبح على خير for Goodnight.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on whom you are addressing. Use تصبح على خير for a male, but change it to تصبحي على خير when speaking to a female. When speaking to a group of people, use the plural form تصبحوا على خير.
When do people say it?
A common response to تصبح على خير is وأنت من أهله (to a male) or وأنت من أهله (to a female), which essentially means 'And may you be among the people of goodness'.
Did you know?
- While تصبح على خير is standard, in some Levantine dialects, people may simply say تصبح على ألف خير to wish someone a thousand times more goodness.
- The word على in the phrase is a linguistic relative of the Hebrew word 'al', both tracing back to ancient Semitic roots.
- The response وأنت من أهله implies that the person you are speaking to is not just meeting 'goodness' but is actually a member of its family.
Examples in context
- تصبح على خير تيميGoodnight, Timmy.Tatoeba #5496776 by Wildflower81, translation #852229 by piksea
- تصبح على خير يا أبي.tusbih 'ala khayr ya abi.Goodnight, father.
- تصبح على خير يا صديقتي.tusbih 'ala khayr ya sadiqati.Goodnight, my friend.
Example conversation
Ziad and Maryam are saying goodbye before going to sleep.
- زياد Ziadتصبح على خير يا مريم.tusbih 'ala khayr ya maryam.Goodnight, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamوأنت من أهل الخير يا زياد.wa anta min ahl al-khayr ya ziyad.And goodnight to you, Ziad.
- زياد Ziadأراك غداً.arak ghadan.See you tomorrow.
- مريم Maryamإلى اللقاء.ila al-liqa'.Goodbye.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries على, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
