il-lejl it-tajjeb
il-lejl it-tajjeb is the Maltese way to say goodnight.
il-lejl it-tajjeb is a phrase used to wish someone a good sleep or to say goodbye at the end of the day. While it can be used as a greeting, it is most commonly used as a parting phrase when someone is going to sleep or leaving for the night.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'the night the good'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the definite article 'il-' on both the noun 'lejl' and the adjective 'tajjeb' because the adjective must agree with the noun in definiteness.
Did you know?
- Maltese is the only Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet, which gives the phrase il-lejl it-tajjeb a unique visual appearance compared to Arabic script.
- The word 'tajjeb' can also be used to describe food as 'delicious', so saying il-lejl it-tajjeb is structurally similar to saying 'the delicious night'.
- In many Maltese households, instead of a formal 'goodnight', one might simply say sa l-għodja, which means 'until the morning'.
Examples in context
- Il-lejl it-tajjeb!Goodnight!Tatoeba #3231552 by biber, translation #1068125 by erik21889
- Person A: Il-lejl it-tajjeb! Person B: Il-lejl it-tajjeb ukoll!Person A: Goodnight! – Person B: Goodnight to you too!
Example conversation
Maria and Paul are going to bed.
- MariaHawn il-lejl it-tajjeb, Paul.Goodnight, Paul.
- PaulGrazzi, Maria. Inti wkoll.Thanks, Maria. You too.
- MariaSidi, narak għada.I will see you tomorrow.
- PaulSì, narak għada.Yes, see you tomorrow.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
