Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buen día | /ˌbwen ˈdia/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
| buenas matinas (Americanism) | feminine, plural |
The phrase is used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "good days".
Which one should you use?
While buenos días is the standard greeting, buen día is a singular version used in certain Latin American regions to mean "have a good day" or as a greeting.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Buenos días is the most common and widely used way to say "good morning". For a casual and friendly approach, you can combine "Hola" with buenos días. The word buenas is a shortened, colloquial version used as a general greeting and buen día is a more relaxed way to say "good morning".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, buen día is used as a relaxed way of saying "good morning". The term buenas matinas is an Americanism.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase buenos días, the adjective buenos must be masculine and plural to agree with the masculine plural noun días. The form buenas matinas is feminine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
When do people say it?
In Spain, it is customary to use buenos días until around 2 p.m., whereas in Latin America it is commonly used until noon.
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the transition from using buenos días to buenas tardes is not determined by a clock, but by whether or not you have eaten lunch.
- The word día shares an ancient root with the word for 'sky' or 'heaven' in Proto-Indo-European, dyḗws, because the ancient concept of 'day' was tied to the bright light of the heavens.
- When you use the shortened greeting buenas to say hello, you are likely using an elliptical form of buenas tardes, 'good afternoon', rather than a shortened version of 'good morning'.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence shows how to address a group of people 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 shows an enthusiastic use of buenos días.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- Buenos días, señor López. ¿Cómo está usted hoy?Good morning, Mr. López. How are you today?
- Buenos días, señora García. Que tenga un buen día.Good morning, Mrs. García. Have a good day.
- Hola, buenos días, ¿cómo estás?Hello, good morning, how are you?
- ¡Buen día! ¿Dormiste bien?Good morning! Did you sleep well?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena meet in the office hallway.
- AlejandroBuenos días, Elena.Good morning, Elena.
- ElenaBuenos días, Alejandro. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Alejandro. How are you?
- AlejandroMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- ElenaMe 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.
