bună seara
/ˌbu.nə ˈse̯a.ra/
bună seara is the Romanian way to say "good evening".
bună seara is used as a greeting when arriving or as a polite way to acknowledge someone during the evening hours.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of bună (good, feminine singular) and seara (the evening).
Which one should you use?
While bună seara is used for the evening, bună dimineața is used for the morning.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective bună is in the feminine singular form to agree with the feminine noun seară.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbu.nə ˈse̯a.ra/. The phrase has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The Romanian phrase shares a common Latin ancestor with the French bonsoir and the Italian buona sera, making it a linguistic relative of many Romance language greetings.
- While bună seara is used to arrive, Romanians use noapte bună specifically when leaving for the night or going to bed.
- When saying bună seara, it is common to accompany the greeting with a slight nod or a handshake, especially in professional environments.
Examples in context
- Bună seara!Good evening.This example shows the phrase bună seara used as a standalone greeting.Tatoeba #4948872 by elenacristina260, translation #333156 by Aurix
- Bună seara, ce faci?Good evening, how are you?This example shows how to use bună seara when asking someone how they are.Tatoeba #399622 by Dorenda, translation #413820 by Dorenda
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Andrei meet at a restaurant in the evening.
- ElenaBună seara, Andrei!Good evening, Andrei!
- AndreiBună seara, Elena!Good evening, Elena!
- ElenaAi ajuns punctual.You arrived on time.
- AndreiDa, drumul a fost liber.Yes, the road was clear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries bună seara, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bună, bună seara, seara, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
