Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buen día | /ˌbwen ˈdia/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
| buenas matinas (Americanism) | feminine, plural |
The phrase is used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning. The most common and widely used way to say "good morning" is buenos días.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buenos días literally translates to "good days" in the plural.
Which one should you use?
While buenos días is the standard greeting, buen día is a singular form that is often used more as a wish for a good day rather than a standard greeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Buenos días is a formal way to say "good morning". In contrast, buenas is a shortened, colloquial version of buenos días or buenas tardes used as a general greeting.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Buen día is more commonly used in Latin American countries. Additionally, buenas matinas is an Americanism.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase buenos días, the adjective buenos must be masculine and plural to agree with the masculine plural noun días. The form buenas matinas is feminine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
When do people say it?
A colloquial and informal way to ask someone how they are in the morning is to use the phrase ¿Cómo amaneciste?, which translates to "How did you wake up today?"
Did you know?
- The word día in Spanish actually shares a common ancestor with the word for 'heaven' or 'sky', which is the Proto-Indo-European root dyḗws.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to accompany buenos días with a single kiss on the cheek when greeting friends or family.
- Depending on the region, saying buenos días after noon can be seen as a mistake or a sign that you have just woken up very late.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence shows how to address a group with buenos días.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This sentence shows a greeting using buenos días with a name.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This sentence uses buenos días as an exclamation.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- ¡Hola, buenos días!Hi, good morning!
- Buenos días, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, how are you?
- ¡Hola, buenos días! ¿Cómo amaneciste?Hi, good morning! How did you wake up today?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena encounter each other in their apartment hallway in the morning.
- AlejandroBuenos días, Elena.Good morning, Elena.
- ElenaBuenos días, Alejandro. ¿Vas al trabajo?Good morning, Alejandro. Are you going to work?
- AlejandroSí, tengo mucha prisa.Yes, I am in a great hurry.
- ElenaQue tengas un buen día.Have a good day.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries buenos días, buen día, buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buen, buenas, día, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
