buenas noches
/ˌbwenas ˈnot͡ʃes/
In Spanish, the way to say goodbye at night is buenas noches.
The phrase buenas noches is used both as a greeting when arriving somewhere in the evening and as a farewell when leaving or going to bed. It functions as both 'good evening' and 'goodnight'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'good nights' in the plural.
Which one should you use?
Unlike English, where 'good evening' and 'goodnight' are distinct, buenas noches covers both functions in Spanish.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the noun noches is feminine and plural, the adjective buenas must also be feminine and plural to match it.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenas ˈnotʃes/
Did you know?
- In Spain, there is a sharp cultural divide between using buenas tardes and buenas noches, with the switch often happening after the evening meal, which occurs much later than in English-speaking cultures.
- In some contexts, the shortened greeting buenas is used as a general greeting for any time of day, acting as a shorthand for buenas tardes or buenas noches.
- While buenas noches is the standard farewell, some Spanish speakers use the phrase que descanses specifically when someone is actually going to sleep to wish them a restful night.
Examples in context
- Buenas noches a todos.Goodnight to everyone.
- Me voy, buenas noches.I'm leaving, goodnight.
- Hasta mañana, buenas noches.See you tomorrow, goodnight.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are leaving a small dinner party.
- SofíaMuchas gracias por la cena, buenas noches.Thank you very much for the dinner, goodnight.
- JavierDe nada, Sofía. Buenas noches.You're welcome, Sofía. Goodnight.
- SofíaHasta mañana, Javier.See you tomorrow, Javier.
- JavierAdiós, que descanses.Goodbye, rest well.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buenas noches, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
