Buenos días, ¿cómo dormiste?
The English phrase "good morning, how did you sleep?" is translated into Spanish as Buenos días, ¿cómo dormiste?
This phrase is a morning greeting used to inquire about the quality of someone's sleep.
Which one should you use?
The form Buenos días, ¿cómo dormiste? is used in informal settings. For a more formal approach, you can use Buenos días, ¿cómo durmió? or Buenos días, ¿cómo ha dormido?, which translates to "Good morning, how have you slept?"
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can say Buenos días, ¿cómo amaneciste? ¿Cómo descansaste? In Argentina, a common way to say this is ¡Hola! ¿Cómo te fue durmiendo? ¿Cómo amaneciste? In Cuba, people might say ¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo dormiste? ¿Cómo amaneciste hoy?
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this, a common and natural response is Muy bien, gracias (Very well, thank you).
Did you know?
- The word cómo is actually a descendant of the Latin cōmō̆, which was a common, non-literary version of the formal term quōmodo.
- While Buenos días is the standard greeting, in some very informal Spanish households, people may simply say Buenas regardless of the time of day.
- When someone asks ¿Cómo amaneciste?, they are not just asking about sleep, but are actually checking on your general mood or health when you woke up.
Examples in context
- Hola, buenos días, ¿cómo dormiste?Hello, good morning, how did you sleep?
Example conversation
Mateo greets María in their kitchen while she makes coffee.
- MateoBuenos días, ¿cómo dormiste?Good morning, how did you sleep?
- MaríaMuy bien, gracias, ¿y tú?Very well, thanks, and you?
- MateoDormí bastante bien.I slept quite well.
- MaríaMe alegro, Mateo.I'm glad, Mateo.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cómo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
