What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "good nights and sweet dreams", where noches (nights) and sueños (dreams) are in the plural form.
Which one should you use?
While buenas noches can function as both a greeting (Good evening) and a farewell (Good night), adding y dulces sueños makes the phrase strictly a farewell intended for sleep.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Different regions have their own common variations: in Mexico, you can say ¡Que descanses y sueñes con los angelitos!, in Argentina, ¡Buenas noches y que tengas lindos sueñitos! is used and in Spain, ¡Duerme bien y que tus sueños sean bonitos! is common.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase dulces sueños, the adjective dulces is the plural form used to agree with the masculine plural noun sueños.
Did you know?
- The word sueño is an auto-antonym in Spanish, as it means both a 'dream' and 'sleepiness'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a common way to wish a child sweet dreams is to say que sueñes con los angelitos, or 'may you dream with the little angels'.
- When speaking to a child, it is common to use diminutives like sueñitos instead of the standard sueños to make the wish sound warmer and more affectionate.
Examples in context
- Buenas noches y dulces sueños.Good night and sweet dreams.This sentence shows how to use the phrase buenas noches y dulces sueños.Tatoeba #609821 by arashi_29, translation #64653 by Eldad
- ¡Descansa, chiquito/a! Que tengas dulces sueñitos.Rest, little one! Have sweet little dreams.
- ¡Buenas noches y dulces sueños, mi amor!Good night and sweet dreams, my love!
- Te deseo buenas noches y dulces sueños.I wish you good night and sweet dreams.
Example conversation
A couple is saying goodnight before sleeping in their bedroom.
- ElenaYa es hora de dormir, buenas noches y dulces sueños.It is time to sleep, good night and sweet dreams.
- DanielMuchas gracias, Elena. Igualmente para ti.Thank you very much, Elena. The same to you.
- ElenaQue descanses mucho, Daniel.Rest well, Daniel.
- DanielHasta mañana.See you tomorrow.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
