Good Morning in Persian: Sobh Bekheyr, Good Night and How to Reply

The way to say good morning in Persian is صبح بخیر (sobh bekheyr), literally “morning with good.” You can say it to anyone, from your family to your boss. The usual reply is the same phrase, or صبح شما هم بخیر (sobh-e shomâ ham bekheyr), “good morning to you too.” For good night, say شب بخیر (shab bekheyr).

Those two phrases will carry you through most days in Iran. Below you will find the rest of the set: the noon and afternoon greetings, a greeting that works at any hour, the warmer “to you” forms, sweet dreams, the right replies, and the short versions people type in text messages. Each phrase comes with Persian script, pronunciation and a note on when Iranians actually use it, plus practice after each section.

Good morning in Persian: the quick list

If you are starting from zero, learn the first and the ninth lines today. The rest you can add one at a time.

What sobh bekheyr means, word by word

صبح بخیر (sobh bekheyr) Listen has two parts:

• صبح (sobh) means “morning.” You can find it with example sentences in our vocabulary lesson on sobh, the Persian word for morning.
• بخیر (bekheyr) is به (be, “with, to”) plus خیر (kheyr, “good, well-being”).

So the phrase is a wish: “may your morning be with good.” The same بخیر (bekheyr) attaches to other times of day, which is why the whole family of greetings in the table above follows one pattern: time word + bekheyr. Once you know it, you can understand ظهر بخیر, عصر بخیر and شب بخیر without memorizing them separately.

One small trap: on its own, خیر (kheyr) is also a formal word for “no.” You will hear it in polite answers, but inside bekheyr it only means “good.”

Pronunciation tips

• sobh: a short “o” as in “more” said quickly, then a light breathy h at the end. In fast everyday speech the h is very soft, and many speakers say something close to “sob.”
• bekheyr: “be” as in “bed” without the d. The kh is the throaty sound in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach.” “eyr” rhymes with English “air” said with a slight y glide.
• The stress falls on the last syllable: sobh be-kheyr.

You may see the same phrase spelled in English as sobh bekheir, sobh bekhair or sob bekheyr. They all point to the same Persian words. Our site uses sobh bekheyr.

صبح بخیر or صبح به خیر?

You will see both spellings: صبح بخیر, with be joined to kheyr, and صبح به خیر, with be written as a separate word. They are pronounced the same, and both are understood everywhere. The joined form is what most people type in messages and see on greeting cards. The separated form follows the general rule of writing the preposition به (be) as its own word, so you will often meet it in edited text such as books and newspapers. For a learner, either is fine; just be consistent within one message.

Making it warmer: “your morning”

Persian lets you add a possessive ending to sobh, so the greeting is aimed at the person in front of you: “your morning be good.” This sounds warmer than the bare phrase, and Iranians use it a lot.

The difference between -et and -etun is the same as the difference between to and shomâ, the informal and polite “you.” If you are not sure which to use, polite is always safe. Our grammar lesson on pronouns and the polite “you” explains the choice in more detail.

Notice the spoken ending -etun versus the written -etân. This kind of shift, â to u before n, runs all through everyday Persian; see spoken vs written Persian for the full pattern.

How to reply to good morning in Persian

Replying is simple. Any of these works:

• صبح بخیر (sobh bekheyr): just say it back.
• صبح شما هم بخیر (sobh-e shomâ ham bekheyr) Listen: “good morning to you too,” polite.
• صبح تو هم بخیر (sobh-e to ham bekheyr) Listen: the same, to a friend.
• سلام، صبح بخیر (salâm, sobh bekheyr) Listen: if they only said salâm, you can add the morning wish.

A morning greeting is usually followed by “how are you.” Our guide to how are you in Persian covers that next step and its many answers.

Good afternoon and good evening in Persian

English has three neat slots: morning, afternoon, evening. Persian divides the day a little differently, and the greetings follow the Persian clock.

zohr bekheyr: around noon

ظهر (zohr) is noon, the middle of the day. ظهر بخیر (zohr bekheyr) Listen is used around midday and into the early afternoon. You will hear it less often than sobh bekheyr; many people simply say salâm at this time.

asr bekheyr: late afternoon into the evening

عصر (asr) is the later part of the afternoon, from mid-afternoon until it gets dark. عصر بخیر (asr bekheyr) Listen is the closest Persian match for both “good afternoon” and “good evening” as a greeting. In asr, the ‘ sound is the letter ع; in everyday Tehran speech it is barely heard, so “asr” is a fine pronunciation.

ruz bekheyr and vaght bekheyr: any time of day

روز بخیر (ruz bekheyr) Listen means “good day.” It sounds slightly formal and is common in shops, offices and on the radio. Some people also use it when leaving during the day.

وقت بخیر (vaght bekheyr) Listen means “good time,” a polite greeting that fits any hour. It is the safe choice when you are not sure of the time zone of the person you are writing to, and it is very common on the phone and in emails. A typical email opening is با سلام و وقت بخیر (bâ salâm va vaght bekheyr), “with greetings and good time to you.” The spoken “to you” form is وقتتون بخیر (vaghtetun bekheyr).

If you want more on the Persian parts of the day and the clock itself, see our post on telling time in Persian.

Good night in Persian

شب (shab) means “night,” and شب بخیر (shab bekheyr) Listen is the standard “good night.” Like English “good night,” it is mostly a parting phrase: you say it when leaving a gathering in the evening, ending a phone call at night, or going to bed. To greet someone when you arrive in the evening, salâm or asr bekheyr is more usual. You may still hear shab bekheyr as a greeting from TV and radio presenters at night.

The same “your” endings work here:

• شبت بخیر (shabet bekheyr): good night to you, informal.
• شبتون بخیر (shabetun bekheyr) Listen: good night to you, polite or plural, spoken.
• شب شما بخیر (shab-e shomâ bekheyr): polite; also a reply.

shab khosh: a softer good night

شب خوش (shab khosh) Listen uses خوش (khosh, “pleasant”) instead of bekheyr: “have a pleasant night.” It has a gentle, slightly literary feel and turns up in poems, songs and good-night messages. In ordinary conversation, shab bekheyr is far more common.

Sleep well and sweet dreams

For someone close, add a wish about sleep:

خواب‌های خوب ببینی Listen literally means “may you see good dreams.” In Persian you “see” a dream: خواب دیدن (khâb didan). A parent tucking a child in, or a couple saying good night on the phone, will often put the pieces together: شب بخیر، خوب بخوابی (shab bekheyr, khub bekhâbi) Listen. If you are writing to someone special, our post on how to say I love you in Persian has terms of endearment to add.

How to reply to good night

• شب بخیر (shab bekheyr): say it back.
• شب تو هم بخیر (shab-e to ham bekheyr): good night to you too, informal.
• شب شما هم بخیر (shab-e shomâ ham bekheyr) Listen: good night to you too, polite.
• تو هم همینطور (to ham hamintor): you too, informal; works after “sleep well” or “sweet dreams.”

Good morning and good night texts

A short morning or night message is a big part of family and friend chats in Iran. Typed messages follow speech, not formal writing, so you will see the spoken forms:

• صبح بخیر or صبحت بخیر: the standard morning text.
• صب بخیر: a casual chat spelling that matches how fast speech sounds. Fine with friends, but not in anything formal.
• سلام صبح بخیر، روز خوبی داشته باشی (salâm sobh bekheyr, ruz-e khubi dâshte bâshi): “hi, good morning, have a good day.”
• بیدار شدی؟ (bidâr shodi?): “are you up?” A common friendly morning check-in.
• شب خوش or شبت بخیر: the standard night text.
• شب بخیر، خوب بخوابی: good night, sleep well.

Many Iranians outside Iran type Persian in Latin letters (Finglish), for example “sobh bekheir” or “shab bekheir.” If you receive one and want to see it in Persian script, paste it into our Finglish to Persian converter. To look up any word in this post, use the Persian dictionary.

A short morning dialogue

Here is how a typical morning exchange at work sounds. Sara arrives at the office; Mr. Karimi is already at his desk.

Notice the polite forms on both sides (sobhetun, shomâ, chetorid). For more on mersi and mamnun, see thank you in Persian. For a longer list of everyday greetings and set phrases, see Persian most common phrases: greeting.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using shab bekheyr as a hello at 7 p.m. It is understood, but it usually sounds like you are already leaving. Arrive with salâm or asr bekheyr.
• Writing it as one word. صبحبخیر is wrong; sobh and bekheyr are always separate.
• Mixing up -et and -etun. sobhet bekheyr to your manager sounds too familiar. When in doubt, use the polite -etun.
• Writing Arabic letters. If you type on a phone, make sure the keyboard gives Persian ی and ک, not the Arabic shapes. A proper Persian keyboard layout types the correct letters.

Want more practice with greetings? Try our Persian greetings quiz. If you like learning set phrases this way, the book 1000 Most Common Farsi Phrases collects everyday expressions like these with pronunciation.

Common questions

How do you say good morning in Farsi?

Say صبح بخیر (sobh bekheyr). Farsi and Persian are the same language, so the phrase is identical. To sound warmer, say صبحتون بخیر (sobhetun bekheyr) to someone you address politely, or صبحت بخیر (sobhet bekheyr) to a friend.

What is the reply to sobh bekheyr?

Say صبح بخیر back, or صبح شما هم بخیر (sobh-e shomâ ham bekheyr), “good morning to you too.” With a friend, صبح تو هم بخیر (sobh-e to ham bekheyr).

What does shab bekheyr mean?

شب بخیر (shab bekheyr) means “good night,” literally “night with good.” It is used mostly when parting in the evening or before sleep. The reply is the same phrase, or شب شما هم بخیر (shab-e shomâ ham bekheyr).

How do you say good afternoon in Persian?

Around noon, ظهر بخیر (zohr bekheyr). From mid-afternoon until dark, عصر بخیر (asr bekheyr). If you are unsure, وقت بخیر (vaght bekheyr) works at any time.

How do you say sweet dreams in Persian?

Say خواب‌های خوب ببینی (khâbhâ-ye khub bebini), “may you see good dreams.” In casual speech it sounds like khâbâ-ye khub bebini. Pair it with شب بخیر for a full good-night wish.

Is it صبح بخیر or صبح به خیر?

Both are correct and pronounced the same. صبح بخیر is the everyday spelling in messages and cards; صبح به خیر, with be written separately, is common in edited text. Never write the two words joined together as one.

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