How to say "okay / fine" in Arabic
CognateMeaningokay / fine
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
طَيِّب
ṭayyibטייב
طيب
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
בסדר
besederبِسِدِر
How the two words are related
Cognate
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ط-ي-بHebrew root
ט-ו-בṬayyib is literally Hebrew טוב — the root ṭ-y-b is the Arabic twin of ט-ו-ב, 'good.' Both languages even use 'good' as conversational okay: טוב, נו — ṭayyib, yalla.
Related Hebrew word:טובtovتُوڤ
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On the street
How people actually say it in the spoken dialects, where it differs from the standard word.
Egyptian · Cairo and the Nile Delta
مَاشِي
māshīמאשיCairo's everyday OK is māshī, 'it goes'; ṭayyib is just as common.
Moroccan · Morocco — Casablanca, Rabat, Fes
وَخَّا
wakhaוח'אDarija's OK is wakha; ṣāfi means 'that's it, enough'.
In a phrase
طَيِّب، أَنَا مُوَافِق
ṭayyib, anā muwāfiqטייב, אנא מואפקokay, I agree
More words from this root
More in Greetings & Essentials
- here you go / please, go aheadtafaḍḍalتَفَضَّلבבקשה, הנה
- congratulations!mabrūkمَبْرُوكמזל טוב
- by your life! (please, I beg you)bi-ḥayātakبِحَيَاتَكבבקשה ממך, בחייך
- well done! (lit. may He give you health)yuʿṭīka l-ʿāfiyaيُعْطِيكَ الْعَافِيَةכל הכבוד
- get well / glad you're safesalāmtakسَلَامَتَكרפואה שלמה
- may it be pleasant (said after a shower, haircut, or swim)naʿīmanنَعِيمًاשיהיה נעים