Muy buenas noches
/mui bwenas not͡ʃes/from spelling rules
In Spanish, the phrase for "good good night" is Muy buenas noches.
Muy buenas noches is a polite way to say "very good night" or "very good evening." Unlike in English, where "Good night" is almost exclusively used as a farewell, Muy buenas noches can be used both as a greeting when arriving and as a farewell when leaving.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Adding muy (very) makes the greeting sound more formal, respectful or emphatic than the standard Buenas noches, which is appropriate for formal settings. For more informal situations, you might use Hasta mañana (See you tomorrow) or Que descanses (Have a restful sleep).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, people often use Dulces sueños to mean "Sweet dreams" when bidding someone a good night. In Spain, Que duermas bien is commonly used to say "Sleep well."
How does it change in a sentence?
The word noches is feminine, which requires the adjective buenas to also be in the feminine plural form to match it.
Did you know?
- In some cultures, it is common to accompany Muy buenas noches with a double kiss on the cheeks when greeting friends or family in a social setting.
- The word muy is a direct descendant of the Latin multum, meaning 'much' or 'many', which is why it shares a linguistic root with the English word 'much'.
- While Muy buenas noches is polite, saying Buenas alone is a common shorthand greeting used in casual settings throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
Examples in context
- Muy buenas noches a todos.Good evening to everyone.
- Muy buenas noches, señora.Good evening, ma'am.
- Hola, muy buenas noches.Hello, good evening.
Example conversation
Daniel enters a restaurant where Sofía is waiting.
- DanielHola, Sofía, muy buenas noches.Hello, Sofía, good evening.
- SofíaMuy buenas noches, Daniel. ¿Cómo estás?Good evening, Daniel. How are you?
- DanielMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- SofíaQué bueno. Siéntate, por favor.That is good. Sit down, please.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, muy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
