buenos días, señora
The English phrase "good morning ma'am" is translated into Spanish as buenos días, señora.
Buenos días, señora is a polite greeting used during the morning hours when addressing a woman.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the adjective buenos must be plural to agree with the plural noun días.
Did you know?
- While buenos días is used in the morning, some Spanish speakers transition to buenas tardes the moment they eat lunch, even if the sun is still high in the sky.
- If you are addressing a young woman in a formal setting, using señora might actually cause offense as it can be interpreted as calling her 'old'. In those cases, señorita is the more polite alternative.
- The term señora shares its linguistic roots with the word 'sir' in English, as both descended from ancient structures used to denote status and authority.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señora. ¿Cómo amaneció hoy?Good morning, ma'am. How did you wake up today?
- Buenos días, señora García. ¿Cómo ha pasado la noche?Good morning, Mrs. Garcia. How was your night?
- Buenos días, señora, ¿cómo está usted?Good morning, ma'am, how are you?
- Buenos días, señora.Good morning, ma'am.
- Hola, buenos días, señora.Hello, good morning, ma'am.
- Muy buenos días, señora.A very good morning to you, ma'am.
Example conversation
Alejandro greets his neighbor in the hallway.
- AlejandroBuenos días, señora Sofía.Good morning, ma'am Sofía.
- SofíaBuenos días, Alejandro.Good morning, Alejandro.
- Alejandro¿Va usted al mercado hoy?Are you going to the market today?
- SofíaSí, voy ahora mismo.Yes, I am going right now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries señora, CC BY-SA 4.0.
