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 the standard greeting is buenos días, other variations can be used depending on the specific wish or level of closeness with the person.
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 greeting for 'good morning', whereas buen día is often used more as a wish for a 'good day' throughout the morning hours.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
buenos días is a common way to say good morning in formal settings in Panama. For a more casual approach, you can use the informal buenas, which is a shortened version of buenos días or buenas tardes used as a casual greeting at any time of day. Among friends and acquaintances, the informal shortened form buenas is also frequently used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Panama, buenos días is commonly used in formal settings. Additionally, the Americanism buenas matinas is a feminine plural form used in certain regions.
How does it change in a sentence?
buen día is the singular form of the phrase, using the singular masculine adjective buen with the singular noun día.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- The word día shares an ancient root with the word for 'sky' or 'heaven', from the Proto-Indo-European root *dyḗws.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, it is considered impolite to enter a small shop or elevator without saying buenos días to everyone present, even strangers.
- Although día means 'day', it is a masculine noun in Spanish, which is why it uses the masculine adjective buenos instead of the feminine buenas.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence shows how to address a group using buenos días.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This sentence demonstrates a simple greeting using buenos días.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This sentence provides an example of using buenos días in an exclamation.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía meet in the office hallway.
- AlejandroBuenos días, Sofía.Good morning, Sofía.
- SofíaBuenos días, Alejandro. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Alejandro. How are you?
- AlejandroMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- SofíaMe 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.
