buenas noches
The English phrase "good evening" is translated into Chamorro as buenas noches.
buenas noches is a Spanish loanword used in Chamorro to express both "good evening" and "good night".
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Buenas noches is considered a formal way to say "good evening".
Did you know?
- Although Chamorro is an Austronesian language, much of its vocabulary for formal social greetings like buenas noches is borrowed from Spanish.
- In many Chamorro households, the Spanish-derived buenas noches is used with a specific level of deference to elders to show respect.
- Despite using buenas noches, the grammatical structure of Chamorro remains distinct from Spanish, treating the loanword as a fixed formulaic expression.
Examples in context
- Buenas noches, titi.Good evening, auntie.
- Buenas noches na, kumpa.Good evening, cousin.
Example conversation
Maria and Jose meet outside a restaurant at night.
- MariaBuenas noches, Jose!Good evening, Jose!
- JoseBuenas noches, Maria.Good evening, Maria.
- MariaHåfa tasi?How are you?
- JoseGaha'i, siña-hu.I am doing well.
