The Phrase Kol Sena w Enta Tayb in Egyptian Arabic

Today we are talking about the phrase kol sena w enta tayb (كل سنة وانت طيب)  in Egyptian Arabic.

It’s the most important phrase spoken during Ramadan…

So it’s essential to know it!

The Phrase Kol Sena w Enta Tayb: A Quick Background

This is the most common phrase to use during Ramadan.

It basically means “Happy Ramadan” in this context, although the literal meaning is quite different.

(What exactly you say depends on who you are speaking to, which we will cover in a minute.)

Literally, kol sena w enta tayb means: “every year and you are great.”

The tricky thing about the phrase is that it’s not Ramadan-specific. In fact, even though it is the phrase you will hear most often during Ramadan, Egyptians use it for quite a few annual occasions (Birthday, Ramadan, Eid, Anniversary, New Year,…).

Taking that into account, here is a more accurate translation of kol sena w enta tayb:

Here is for another year of being great / in good health.

The Phrase Kol Sena w Enta Tayb: Three Different Ways to Say It

There are actually three common ways to use this phrase.

Because you will always use it when you are addressing a person / people directly, there are three main ways to say the phrase:

When you are talking to a man:

Kol sana w enta tayb. / .كل سنة وانت طيب

When you are talking to a woman:

Kol sana w enty tayba. / .كل سنة وانتي طيبة

When you are talking to a group of people:

Kol sana w entoo taybeen. / .كل سنة وانتو طيبين 

The Phrase Kol Sena w Enta Tayb: Example Phrases

Here are a few examples of the phrase in action.

Because you already know what it means, and because the phrase doesn’t change meaning, you basically already know it.

However, here are some common conversations where you would hear it.

And again, during Ramadan, you hear it all the time!

Just keep in mind, as we said above, that the phrase can mean a lot of different things. We’ve underlined it in the bottom three examples.

Examples:

I didn’t know it was your birthday today, Happy Birthday. : makontsh a3raf en elnharda 3eed meladak, kol sana w enta tayb.

.مكنتش اعرف ان عيد ميلادك النهاردة , كل سنة وانت طيب

Wondering how “I didn’t know” becomes makontsh a3raf / مكنتش اعرف?

The secret is all about making mish sandwiches!

Here is for another year of being great, Happy Ramadan. : Kol sana w enty tayba, Ramadan kareem.

.كل سنة وانتي طيبة رمضان كريم

To you too. : w enta tayb.

.وانت طيب

Two things about this conversation:

• Ramadan Kareem / رمضان كريم is also a common way of saying “Happy Ramadan”
• W enta tayb / وانت طيب is a common way of replying to Kol sena w enta tayb.

Greetings to you all, where are you going to travel during Eid? : Kol sana w ento taybeen, hatsafro feen f el 3eed?

كل سنة وانتم طيبين، هتسفرو فين في العيد

We are going to our home town (Lit: “We are going to the country”). : ray7en el balad.

.رايحين البلد

“Where are you going to travel…?” (هتسفرو فين) is an example of the Egyptian Arabic future tense.

Cultural Insight

The phrase kol sana w enta tayb is used for greetings to both friends and strangers in any yearly celebration. People use it most especially during Eid, Ramadan and New Year.

However, a big part of Ramadan is giving money to poor people. Because of that, you will often see people on the streets using the phrase with others hoping they will get money.

These days, the phrase is somewhat associated with begging during a time in which there is actually no special occasion / holiday. For example, you might find a guy in the parking lot, cleaning the windows of your car, and telling you kol sana w enta tayb ya basha literally any day of the year.

He isn’t so much wishing you a happy holiday (there isn’t one), but rather simply asking for money.

Good to know!

…

Happy learning,

Cleo Lingo