What does it mean word for word?
buenas noches means good night and que descanses means may you rest.
Which one should you use?
For a more playful version, say ¡Buenas noches! Que descanses y sueñes bonito, which means goodnight, rest and dream beautifully. Descansa mucho y sueña con los angelitos. means rest a lot and dream with the little angels. A formal option is Descanse bien y que tenga sueños llenos de paz, meaning rest well and have dreams filled with peace.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain people often say Buenas noches, que sueñes con los angelitos.
How does it change in a sentence?
descanses is in the subjunctive mood, which expresses a wish. For the formal you, say que descanse. For more than one person, say que descansen.
How do you pronounce it?
The ch in noches sounds like the ch in church, and que sounds like the English letter k followed by a short e.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Use que descanses only with someone you speak to informally. With someone you address formally, switch to que descanse.
Did you know?
- Unlike the English 'goodnight', which is almost exclusively used when leaving or going to bed, buenas noches is also used as a polite greeting when first arriving at a location in the evening.
- The word que used to wish someone a good rest is a distant relative of the English word 'who'.
- In some regions, people say que pases buenas noches to wish someone a good experience throughout the entire night, rather than focusing solely on the act of resting.
Example conversation
Maria and Javier are saying goodnight before going to their separate rooms.
- MaríaYa es muy tarde, me voy a dormir.It is very late, I am going to sleep.
- JavierYo también. Buenas noches que descanses, María.Me too. Goodnight, sweet dreams, Maria.
- MaríaGracias, Javier. Igualmente para ti.Thank you, Javier. The same to you.
- JavierHasta mañana.Until tomorrow.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, que, CC BY-SA 4.0.
