How to Say "Good Day" in Portuguese

bom dia

/ˈbõ ˈd͡ʒi.ɐ/

bom dia is the Portuguese way to say "good day".

bom dia is used as a greeting between sunrise and approximately midday. In many contexts, it is translated as "good morning".

Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)

Which one should you use?

bom dia is used from sunrise until midday, whereas boa tarde is used from midday until sunset.

The word bom (good) is in the masculine form to agree with the masculine noun dia (day).

The pronunciation is /ˈbõ ˈdʒi.ɐ/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.

The word dia is distantly related to the names of the gods Deus in Portuguese, Zeus in Greek and Jove in Latin.
In some Portuguese-speaking regions, failing to say bom dia when entering a small shop or elevator is considered a significant social slight or a sign of bad education.
In Brazil, it is common to use bom dia as a way to enter a room or start a conversation even if you are not speaking directly to one person, acting as a general announcement of your arrival.

Tenha um bom dia.
Have a good day.
This sentence shows how to wish someone bom dia.
Tatoeba #1158005 by alexmarcelo, translation #3326719 by CK
Ontem foi um bom dia.
Yesterday was a good day.
This sentence uses bom dia to describe a past event.
Tatoeba #1512148 by alexmarcelo, translation #1512147 by CM
Você teve um bom dia?
Did you have a good day?
This sentence uses bom dia to ask about someone's experience.
Tatoeba #5288563 by ajdavidl, translation #3825448 by CK
Bom dia, como está hoje?
Good day, how are you today?
Bom dia, gente! Como vai o vosso dia?
Good morning, everyone! How is your day going?
18 more sentences on Tatoeba

Juliana and Felipe meet at a cafe in the morning.

Sources

Wiktionary, “good day” translations and entries bom dia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries bom, bom dia, dia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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