buenas tardes
/ˌbwenas ˈtaɾdes/
buenas tardes is the Spanish phrase for "good afternoon".
This phrase is used to say "good afternoon" or "good evening".
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "good afternoons". buenas is the feminine plural form of "good" and tardes is the feminine plural of "afternoon".
Which one should you use?
Use buenas tardes for the afternoon. This differs from buenos días, which is used for the morning and buenas noches, which is used for the evening or night.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, it is common to use the informal greeting Buenas tardes, ¿cómo te va?
How does it change in a sentence?
While the singular masculine form buen día is used for "good day" in some contexts, buenas tardes is always a fixed plural phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenas ˈtaɾdes/
When do people say it?
When someone greets you with buenas tardes, a common and polite response is to repeat the same phrase back to them.
Did you know?
- The term tarde comes from the Latin 'tardus', meaning 'slow' or 'late'. This suggests the afternoon is conceptually viewed as the 'slow' or 'late' part of the day.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the time to switch from buenos días to buenas tardes is not determined by a clock, but by the time of the midday meal.
- If you enter a small shop in Spain and simply say Buenas!, you are using a common, shortened version of buenas tardes or buenas noches to greet everyone present.
Examples in context
- Buenas tardes. ¿Puedo hablar con el Sr. García, por favor?Good afternoon. Can I speak with Mr. García, please?
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo está hoy?Good afternoon, how are you today?
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo se encuentra?Good afternoon, how are you?
- ¡Buenas! ¿Vamos al cine esta tarde?Hey! Are we going to the movies this afternoon?
- ¡Sí, buenas tardes! Claro, vamos juntos.Yes, good afternoon! Of course, let's go together.
- ¡Buenas tardes, María! ¿Cómo te va?Good afternoon, María! How's it going?
- ¡Buenas tardes, Pablo! ¿Qué haces?Good afternoon, Pablo! What are you doing?
- Hola, buenas tardes a todos.Hello, good afternoon to everyone.
- ¡Buenas tardes, señor!Good afternoon, sir!
Example conversation
Lucía arrives at the cafe to meet Alejandro.
- LucíaBuenas tardes, Alejandro.Good afternoon, Alejandro.
- AlejandroHola, Lucía. ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Lucía. How are you?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- AlejandroMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buenas tardes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
