What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of dzień (day) and dobry (good).
Which one should you use?
dzień dobry is used for greetings during daylight hours, whereas dobranoc is used specifically when someone is going to sleep or leaving for the night.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
dzień dobry is a standard, polite greeting suitable for shops, offices or meeting strangers. For more casual settings, you might use Cześć, which is a versatile greeting used for both hello and goodbye.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase dzień dobry, the adjective dobry is in the nominative masculine singular form to agree with the masculine noun dzień.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈdʑɛɲ ˈdɔ.brɘ/. It has 3 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
When do people say it?
In Polish, dzień dobry is the standard greeting for the daytime. If you want to wish someone a pleasant time as you part ways, you can say Miłego dnia (have a nice day).
Did you know?
- The word order of dzień dobry was intentionally flipped from dobry dzień to stop people in rural areas from blending the two words into a single term.
- In very formal or old-fashioned settings, using dzień dobry is safer than the casual Cześć, but using Witam can actually be seen as more assertive or even condescending depending on the context.
- Despite the English phrase 'good day' often being used to signal the end of a conversation, in Polish, dzień dobry is strictly a way to start one.
Examples in context
- Dzień dobry, jak się czujesz?Good day, how are you?This example shows how to use dzień dobry in a greeting followed by a question about well-being.Tatoeba #12188850 by polski_ren, translation #415678 by blay_paul
- Dzień dobry, w czym mogę pomóc?Good day, how may I help you?This example shows a formal way to use dzień dobry when offering assistance.Tatoeba #1944952 by Chemiczny_Bogdan, translation #399628 by Dorenda
- Dlaczego mówi się „Dzień dobry!”, gdy dzień nie jest dobry?Why does one say "Good day" when the day is not good?This example highlights the use of dzień dobry in a sentence discussing the literal meaning of the phrase.Tatoeba #11573530 by tokzyk, translation #1781 by Zifre
- Dzień dobry! Czy może mi Pan/Pani pomóc?Good day! Can you help me, please?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Agnieszka and Tomasz meet at a cafe.
- AgnieszkaDzień dobry, Tomaszu!Good day, Tomasz!
- TomaszDzień dobry, Agnieszko!Good day, Agnieszka!
- AgnieszkaCo u ciebie słychać?How have you been?
- TomaszWszystko w porządku, dziękuję.Everything is fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good day” translations and entries dzień dobry, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dobry, dzień, dzień dobry, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
