تصبح على خير
tisbah ala khair
In Arabic, "have a good night" is expressed as تصبح على خير (tisbah ala khair).
The phrase تصبح على خير is used specifically when wishing someone a good night's sleep before they go to bed, rather than simply bidding them goodnight when leaving a social gathering.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "may you wake up to goodness" or "may you reach goodness".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb in the phrase changes depending on whom you are addressing. When speaking to a woman, use تصبحي على خير (may you (feminine) wake up to goodness). When speaking to a group of people, use تصبحوا على خير (may you (plural) wake up to goodness).
How do you pronounce it?
tisbah ala khair
When do people say it?
The standard response to تصبح على خير is وأنت من أهله (to a male) or وأنت من أهله (to a female), which literally means "and may you be among the people of it [the goodness]".
Did you know?
- The standard response وأنت من أهله treats 'goodness' as a place or a family that a person can belong to. It effectively tells the speaker that they are already a member of the 'family' of goodness.
- While تصبح على خير is for bedtime, saying 'good night' to someone you are leaving at a party is usually ليلة سعيدة. Using the bedtime phrase in a social setting can imply you want the other person to go home and sleep.
- The word على in this phrase shares the same ancient Proto-Semitic roots as the Hebrew word 'al', meaning 'upon' or 'on'.
Examples in context
- تصبح على خير يا أبي.Tusbih 'ala khayr ya abi.Have a good night, Dad.
- تصبح على خير يا صديقي.Tusbih 'ala khayr ya sadiqi.Have a good night, my friend.
- تصبح على خير، أراكم غداً.Tusbih 'ala khayr, araakum ghadan.Have a good night, see you all tomorrow.
Example conversation
Layla and Yusuf are saying goodbye before going to their separate rooms to sleep.
- ليلى Laylaتصبح على خير يا يوسف.Tusbih 'ala khayr ya Yusuf.Have a good night, Yusuf.
- يوسف Youssefوأنتِ من أهل الخير يا ليلى.Wa anti min ahl al-khayr ya Layla.And may you be among the people of goodness, Layla.
- ليلى Laylaشكراً لك، أحلاماً سعيدة.Shukran lak, ahlaaman sa'eeda.Thank you, sweet dreams.
- يوسف Youssefشكراً، طابت ليلتك.Shukran, tabat laylatuk.Thanks, have a good night.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries على, CC BY-SA 4.0.
