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. While it is the standard way to say "good morning," it can also be understood as "good day."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buenos días literally translates to "good days."
Which one should you use?
While buenos días is the standard greeting for "good morning," the form buen día is often used more specifically as a wish for a "good day" ahead.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
buenas is a shortened, informal version of buenos días or buenas tardes used as a general greeting that can mean "hi" or "hello." buen día is the singular form of the phrase.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Venezuela, buenos días can be a formal way to say "good morning" and can translate to "good day." The variation ¡Buen día, mi gente! means "Good day, my people!" and is also used in Venezuela. The form buenas matinas is an Americanism.
How does it change in a sentence?
buen día is the singular form of the phrase, which uses the singular masculine adjective buen instead of the plural buenos. buenas matinas is a feminine and plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, buenos días is not just a greeting but a social requirement. Failing to say it when entering a small shop or elevator can be perceived as a sign of poor breeding or rudeness.
- The word días shares an ancient root with the word for 'sky' or 'heaven' in Proto-Indo-European. This means the greeting is conceptually linked to the light of the heavens.
- Depending on the country, the shift from buenos días to buenas tardes happens exactly at noon, but some cultures wait until after they have eaten lunch.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence shows how to address a group with 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 buenos días used in an affectionate greeting.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- Buenos días, gracias por preguntar.Good morning, thank you for asking.
- ¡Buen día! Estoy muy bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?Good morning! I'm very well, thanks. And you?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena meet at the office coffee machine.
- AlejandroBuenos días, Elena.Good morning, Elena.
- ElenaBuenos días, Alejandro.Good morning, Alejandro.
- Alejandro¿Cómo estás hoy?How are you today?
- ElenaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
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.
