Buenos días
/bwenos dias/from spelling rules
The English phrase 'good morning to someone' is translated into Spanish as Buenos días.
Buenos días is used from sunrise until around noon or lunchtime, after which one should switch to Buenas tardes. An informal way to greet someone in the morning is to say ¡Hola! ¿Cómo amaneciste?, which means 'Hi! How did you wake up this morning?'
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Buenos días literally translates to 'good days' rather than 'good morning'.
How does it change in a sentence?
While Buenos días is the standard plural form, the singular Buen día is also used in many Spanish-speaking regions.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid saying Buenos día. English speakers often mistakenly use the singular día with the plural buenos, but the phrase must maintain gender and number agreement: Buenos días.
Did you know?
- The word día is grammatically masculine, despite ending in 'a', which is why it uses the masculine adjective Buenos instead of Buenas.
- In Spain, it is common to accompany Buenos días with two kisses on the cheeks when greeting friends or family, unlike the single handshake common in English-speaking cultures.
- While Buenos días is the standard, in some regions of the Caribbean, speakers may shorten the greeting to just Buenas regardless of the time of day.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señor García. ¿Cómo se encuentra?Good morning, Mr. García. How are you?
- ¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo estás hoy?Good morning! How are you today?
- ¡Hola! ¿Cómo amaneciste hoy?Hi! How did you wake up this morning?
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning to everyone.
- Buenos días, señora.Good morning, ma'am.
- ¡Buenos días, profesor!Good morning, professor!
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier meet at the office in the morning.
- LucíaBuenos días, Javier.Good morning, Javier.
- JavierBuenos días, Lucía. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Lucía. How are you?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- JavierMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
