buenos días
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
In Spanish, "good days" is translated as buenos días. It is a greeting used during the morning.
Buenos días is a standard greeting used from the early morning until around noon or early afternoon. You can use it on its own or include a person's name, such as Buenos días, María.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a literal translation of "good days", where buenos means "good" and días means "days".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, people may use Buenas instead of Buenos días.
How does it change in a sentence?
While buenos días is the standard plural greeting, the singular buen día is sometimes used as a greeting or a wish, particularly in certain Latin American-influenced contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the singular buen día when they intend to use the standard, more common plural greeting buenos días.
Did you know?
- The phrase buenos días is used in a sarcastic way to wake up someone who has slept far too late. In this context, it is said with a specific tone to mock the person's late start to the day.
- In a professional setting, failing to say Buenos días when entering a small shared space like an elevator can be perceived as a sign of poor upbringing or rudeness.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, buenos días is often accompanied by a single kiss on the cheek or a handshake in social settings. Using the phrase without a physical gesture can sometimes seem overly formal or distant.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, ¿cómo estás?Good morning, how are you?
- Buenos días a todos en la oficina.Good morning to everyone in the office.
- ¡Buenos días! Qué alegría verte.Good morning! What a joy to see you.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía meet in the office kitchen.
- MateoBuenos días, Sofía.Good morning, Sofía.
- SofíaHola, Mateo. ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Mateo. How are you?
- MateoMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- SofíaQué bueno. Vamos a trabajar.That's good. Let's go to work.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buenos días, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
