buenos días
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
In Spanish, "good morning" is said as buenos días. Wiktionary also lists buen día and buenas.
Meaning: when seeing someone for the first time in the morning (intj)
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?
The phrase buenos días literally translates to "good days" in the plural.
Which one should you use?
While buenos días is the standard greeting, buen día is a singular variation that is more common in certain Latin American regions than in Spain.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
buenos días is a standard formal way to say "good morning". The form buenas is an informal, shortened version used as a generic greeting at any time of day.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase buenos días uses the masculine plural adjective buenos to agree with the masculine plural noun días.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the singular buenos día, as both the adjective and the noun must be plural.
Did you know?
- Although the word día means 'day', it is a masculine noun. This is an anomaly in Spanish because almost all nouns ending in a are feminine.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is customary to say buenos días to every person you encounter when entering a small shop or an elevator, even to complete strangers.
- The word día is a distant relative of the English word 'deity'. Both originate from an ancient Proto-Indo-European word for 'heaven' or 'sky'.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence is useful for saying good morning to a group using buenos días.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This sentence shows a greeting to a person named Tom using buenos días.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This sentence shows an enthusiastic greeting using buenos días.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- ¡Buenos días, señor Martínez! ¿Cómo amaneció hoy?Good morning, Mr. Martínez! How did you wake up today?
- ¡Buenos días! ¿Dormiste bien?Good morning! Did you sleep well?
- Hola Juan, ¿cómo amaneciste?Hi Juan, how did you wake up this morning?
- Buen día, Mateo. ¿Listo para empezar el día?Good day, Mateo. Ready to start the day?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo pass each other in the office hallway.
- ElenaBuenos días, Mateo.Good morning, Mateo.
- MateoBuenos días, Elena. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Elena. How are you?
- ElenaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- MateoMe 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.
