Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buen día | /ˌbwen ˈdia/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
| buenas matinas (Americanism) | feminine, plural |
These phrases are used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning. While buenos días is the standard greeting, buen día is often used more specifically as a wish for someone to have a "good day" throughout the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buenos días literally translates to "good days".
Which one should you use?
buenos días is the standard way to say "good morning", whereas buen día is a singular version often used to wish someone a good day. The shortened form buenas acts as a general, colloquial greeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
buenos días is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. You can use buenos días, señor to say "good morning, sir" to a man or buenos días, señora to say "good morning, madam" to a woman. For more casual situations, you can use the informal buen día or the colloquial shortened version buenas.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, buenos días is a common way to say "good morning". In the same region, buen día and the phrase Hola, buen día are considered casual and friendly ways to greet someone. Additionally, buenas matinas is an Americanism used in some regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
buen día is the singular form of the greeting, which uses the masculine singular adjective buen instead of the plural buenos. The form buenas matinas is feminine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
When do people say it?
In Argentina, it is more appropriate to switch to buenas tardes once it is after noon rather than continuing to use morning greetings.
Did you know?
- Although día means 'day', it is a masculine noun in Spanish, which is why the adjective buenos is also masculine.
- While the English 'day' comes from a Germanic root, the Spanish día traces back to the Proto-Indo-European word for 'heaven' or 'sky'.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, buenos días is used as a polite way to enter a shop or elevator, even if the speaker does not know anyone present.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This example shows how to use buenos días to greet a group of people.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This example shows a simple greeting using buenos días with a person's name.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This example shows an enthusiastic use of buenos días.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Alejandro meet in a coffee shop.
- MaríaBuenos días, Alejandro.Good morning, Alejandro.
- AlejandroBuenos días, María. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, María. How are you?
- MaríaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- AlejandroMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries buenos días, buen día, buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buen, buenas, día, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
