buenos días
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
The phrase for "good morning to a female" in Spanish is buenos días.
A polite greeting used in the morning to address a woman.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- Although buenos días is used for both men and women, it is grammatically masculine because día is a masculine noun. This is an exception to the general rule that words ending in a are feminine.
- The greeting buenos días is traditionally used until the midday meal, which occurs much later than in English-speaking countries. In Spain, it is common to say buenos días as late as 2 PM.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, buenos días is not just a greeting but a social requirement when entering a shop or elevator. Failing to say it to everyone present can be viewed as a sign of poor upbringing or rudeness.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señoraGood morning, ma'am.
- Buenos días guapaGood morning, beautiful.
- ¡Buenos días, preciosa! ¿Dormiste como un ángel?Good morning, gorgeous! Did you sleep like an angel?
- Buenos días, Elena, ¿cómo estás?Good morning, Elena, how are you?
- ¡Buenos días, doctora!Good morning, doctor!
Example conversation
Mateo enters the office and sees Elena at her desk.
- MateoBuenos días, Elena.Good morning, Elena.
- ElenaBuenos días, Mateo. ¿Qué tal todo?Good morning, Mateo. How is everything?
- MateoMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- ElenaMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buenos días, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
