تصبح على خير
tisbah ala khair
To say sleep well in Arabic, use تصبح على خير (tisbah ala khair), the usual way to wish someone a good night.
It is said at night when parting ways or when someone is about to go to bed.
What does it mean word for word?
It literally means may you wake up to goodness. tisbah means you wake up, ala means upon and khair means goodness.
Which one should you use?
More direct wishes are أتمنى لك نومًا هانئًا, I wish you a peaceful sleep and the formal تمنياتي بنوم هنيء. طابت أحلامك means may your dreams be pleasant.
How does it change in a sentence?
To a woman, say تصبحي على خير, with tusbihi in place of tisbah.
How do you pronounce it?
It is said tisbah ala khair.
When do people say it?
The standard reply is وأنت من أهله (wa anta min ahlihi) to a man, or wa anti min ahlihi to a woman. It means may you also be among those who wake up to goodness.
Did you know?
- The reply وأنت من أهله treats the abstract concept of 'goodness' as if it were a physical home or a family group that one belongs to.
- The preposition على ('ala') used in this phrase is a linguistic relative of the Hebrew word 'al', meaning 'upon'.
- The word خير in this phrase does not just mean 'goodness', but can also refer to 'wealth' or 'blessings'.
Examples in context
- تمنياتي بنوم هنيء، محمدMy wishes for a peaceful sleep, Mohammed.
- تصبح على خير يا صديقي.Tusbih 'ala khair ya sadiqi.Sleep well, my friend.
- تصبح على خير، أراك غداً.Tusbih 'ala khair, araka ghadan.Sleep well, see you tomorrow.
Example conversation
Maryam and Omar are saying goodnight before going to their rooms.
- مريم Maryamأنا سأنام الآن يا عمر.Ana sa-anam al-an ya Omar.I am going to sleep now, Omar.
- عمر Omarتصبح على خير يا مريم.Tusbih 'ala khayr ya Maryam.Sleep well, Maryam.
- مريم Maryamوأنت من أهل الخير.Wa anta min ahli al-khayr.And you as well.
- عمر Omarأحلاماً سعيدة!Ahlaman sa'ida!Sweet dreams!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries على, CC BY-SA 4.0.
