What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of buenos (good), días (days) and chicos (guys/boys/children).
Which one should you use?
You can use other forms depending on the group and the level of respect. To address a group of men more formally or respectfully, use señores instead of chicos. For a group of males specifically, you might use caballeros (gentlemen). To greet a mixed-gender group or to be respectful regardless of gender, you can use señores. If you want to say "good morning, everyone", use buenos días a todos. Other variations include buenos días, amigos (good morning, friends) or buenos días, chicos y chicas (good morning, guys and girls).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Using chicos to address a group is informal and friendly, typically used among friends or peers. For more formal settings, you should use caballeros (gentlemen) for a group of males or señores (gentlemen/sirs) for a respectful or mixed-gender greeting.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the group being addressed consists entirely of females, chicos changes to chicas.
Did you know?
- The word día in buenos días is masculine, which is an oddity in Spanish because most words ending in 'a' are feminine.
- In some cultures, failing to say buenos días when entering a small shop or elevator is considered a significant social slight, whereas in English, a simple nod or 'hello' is often sufficient.
- If you are greeting a group of friends in Spain, you might hear people use buenas as a shorthand for any time of day, often dropping the 'días' entirely.
Examples in context
- ¡Buenos días, chicos! ¿Durmieron bien?Good morning, guys! Did you sleep well?
- Buenos días, chicos, ¿cómo están?Good morning guys, how are you?
- Buenos días, chicos, hoy hace calor.Good morning guys, it is hot today.
Example conversation
Lucía walks into the office where Javier and their colleagues are sitting.
- Lucía¡Buenos días, chicos!Good morning, guys!
- JavierBuenos días, Lucía.Good morning, Lucía.
- Lucía¿Cómo estuvo su noche?How was your night?
- JavierMuy bien, gracias.Very good, thank you.
