عصر بخیر
asr bekheyr
In Persian, 'have a good evening' is expressed as عصر بخیر (asr bekheyr).
عصر بخیر is a greeting used to wish someone a pleasant time during the late afternoon or early evening period.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase عصر بخیر is composed of asr, meaning afternoon or evening and bekheyr, meaning with goodness or well.
Which one should you use?
عصر بخیر is used specifically for the evening period, whereas شب بخیر is used to say 'good night' when someone is leaving for the night or going to sleep.
How do you pronounce it?
asr bekheyr
Did you know?
- The word عصر in عصر بخیر is borrowed from the Arabic word for 'squeezing' or 'pressing', originally referring to the time of day when fruits were pressed for juice.
- Persian uses a system of 'Taarof', a complex code of etiquette, which might lead a person to say عصر بخیر with an exaggerated level of formality to show extreme respect to a stranger.
- The word عصر is also used in Persian to refer to the specific 'tea time' ritual that takes place in the late afternoon.
Examples in context
- ممنونم، شما هم شب بخیر داشته باشید.Thank you, may you also have a good evening.
- سلام، شبت خوش! چه خبر؟Hello, have a good evening! What's up?
- عصر بخیر، مریم عزیز.asr bekheyr, maryam-e aziz.Have a good evening, dear Maryam.
- عصر بخیر، دوستان.asr bekheyr, dustan.Have a good evening, friends.
- عصر بخیر، همه شما.asr bekheyr, hame-ye shoma.Have a good evening, everyone.
Example conversation
Ali and Maryam are leaving a coffee shop at sunset.
- مریم Maryamخداحافظ علی، عصر بخیر.khodahafiz Ali, asr bekheyr.Goodbye Ali, have a good evening.
- علی Aliممنون مریم جان، عصر بخیر.mamnun Maryam jan, asr bekheyr.Thanks dear Maryam, have a good evening.
- مریم Maryamمی‌بینمت فردا.mibinamet farda.I will see you tomorrow.
- علی Aliباشه، تا فردا.bashe, ta farda.Okay, until tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries عصر, CC BY-SA 4.0.
