buenas noches
/ˌbwenas ˈnot͡ʃes/feminine, plural
In Spanish, the phrase for good evening is buenas noches. Wiktionary also lists buenas tardes and buenos vésperos.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenas noches | /ˌbwenas ˈnot͡ʃes/ | feminine, plural |
| buenas tardes | /ˌbwenas ˈtaɾdes/ | feminine, plural |
| buenos vésperos | /bwenos bespeɾos/ (from spelling rules) | masculine, plural |
Use buenas tardes during the late afternoon and buenas noches once darkness has fallen. buenas noches can also be used as a farewell to say goodnight.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buenas noches literally translates to good nights.
Which one should you use?
Buenas tardes is used for the period between mid-afternoon, typically around 1 or 2 p.m., and sunset. Once it is dark or night has fallen, you should switch to buenas noches.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because noches and tardes are feminine plural nouns, the adjective bueno must change to the feminine plural form buenas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenas ˈnotʃes/
Did you know?
- In some regions, people shorten the greeting to just buenas to avoid choosing between tardes and noches during the ambiguous twilight hour.
- The word tardes in buenas tardes comes from the Latin 'tardus', meaning 'slow' or 'late', reflecting the 'late' part of the day.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the transition to buenas tardes happens much later in the day than the English 'afternoon' transition, often not until after the midday meal has been eaten.
Examples in context
- Buenas tardes, ¿cómo estás?Good evening, how are you?This example shows how to use buenas tardes in a greeting.Tatoeba #745023 by Shishir, translation #413820 by Dorenda
- Buenas tardes. Me gustaría un vaso de leche entera.Good evening. I'd like a glass of whole milk.This example shows how to use buenas tardes when making a request.Tatoeba #9726742 by arh, translation #3499041 by danepo
- ¡Buenas noches!Good evening!This example shows the use of buenas noches as an exclamation.Tatoeba #528431 by Shishir, translation #2265983 by _undertoad
- Buenas noches, espero que tengas un buen descansoGood evening, I hope you have a good rest
- ¡Hola! ¡Buenas noches! ¿Qué tal el día?Hi! Good evening! How was your day?
- Buenas noches, amigos. ¿Quieren salir a cenar?Good evening, friends. Do you want to go out for dinner?
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel meet at a restaurant in the evening.
- SofíaBuenas noches, Daniel.Good evening, Daniel.
- DanielBuenas noches, Sofía. ¿Cómo estás?Good evening, Sofía. How are you?
- SofíaMuy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?Very well, thank you. And you?
- DanielTodo bien, gracias.Everything is fine, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good evening” translations and entries buenas noches, buenas tardes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
