be well
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 be well、be doing fine
Describes someone as being well and having no significant health or personal problems.
be well、be doing fine
Describes a person as healthy, well, and generally doing all right.
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สบายดีไหม sabaay dii mǎy How are you? สบายดีไหม details
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ทุกคนสบายดี thúk khon sabaay dii Everyone is well. ทุกคนสบายดี details
Learning notes
Explanation
สบายดี combines สบาย, meaning “comfortable” or “free from discomfort,” with ดี, meaning “good.” Together, they describe someone as being in a good state physically and generally doing fine. It does not necessarily suggest high energy. Its usual sense is that the person is healthy, safe, and experiencing no major problems. Because Thai stative verbs can serve directly as predicates, สบายดี alone can be a complete reply meaning “I’m fine.” For politeness, a man can say สบายดีครับ and a woman สบายดีค่ะ.
Usage
Commonly used to ask about someone’s health or general well-being, especially after some time apart, and to report that a friend or family member is doing well. It also works naturally in calls, messages, and letters. สบายดีไหม is a genuine question about how someone is doing, rather than a direct substitute for every casual “hello.”
Caution
ไม่สบาย normally means “to be ill” or “to feel unwell,” not merely a mild negation of สบายดี. Also, do not confuse สบายดี, “to be well,” with สวัสดี, the standard greeting used for “hello” and “goodbye.”
Differences from similar words
1 be well synonyms
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สบาย broadly means “comfortable,” “at ease,” or “free from discomfort.” สบายดี is used mainly to say that someone is well and doing fine.