buenas tardes a todos
/bwenas taɾdes a todos/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "good afternoon everyone" is buenas tardes a todos.
buenas tardes a todos is a greeting used to address a group of people during the afternoon.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, you may hear the phrase Buenas tardes a todos, ¿cómo están?, which means "good afternoon everyone, how are you all?" For an informal variation in some Latin American countries, Hola a todos, buenas tardes, ¿qué onda? can be used to mean "hello everyone, good afternoon, what's happening?"
How does it change in a sentence?
If the group you are addressing consists entirely of women, you should use buenas tardes a todas instead of buenas tardes a todos.
Did you know?
- Unlike the English 'good afternoon', which is often a greeting, buenas tardes is also used as a polite way to say 'goodbye' when leaving a place in the afternoon.
- While 'afternoon' in English typically ends at 6 PM, tardes in Spanish lasts until the sun sets or until the evening meal, which can be as late as 9 or 10 PM.
- The word a in the phrase is a direct descendant of the Latin preposition ad, which originally meant 'to' or 'toward'.
Examples in context
- Buenas tardes a todos, es un placer estar aquí con ustedes hoyGood afternoon everyone, it's a pleasure to be here with you today
- Hola a todos, buenas tardes. ¿Qué tal les ha ido hoy?Hello everyone, good afternoon. How has your day been today?
- Buenas tardes a todos, ¿cómo están?Good afternoon everyone, how are you?
- Buenas tardes a todos, bienvenidos a la clase.Good afternoon everyone, welcome to the class.
- Hola, buenas tardes a todos.Hello, good afternoon everyone.
Example conversation
Daniel enters a room where Elena is waiting with a group of people.
- DanielBuenas tardes a todos.Good afternoon everyone.
- Elena¡Hola, Daniel! Qué bueno verte.Hi, Daniel! It is good to see you.
- DanielGracias, Elena. ¿Están listos para empezar?Thanks, Elena. Are you all ready to start?
- ElenaSí, estamos listos.Yes, we are ready.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
