buenas noches a tus padres
/bwenas not͡ʃes a tus padɾes/from spelling rules
The English phrase "goodnight to your parents" is translated into Spanish as buenas noches a tus padres.
The phrase buenas noches a tus padres is used as a polite way to extend a greeting or a farewell to people who are not present in the immediate conversation. If you want to use an informal and endearing term for "mom and dad" instead of the more neutral "parents", you can use papis.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of buenas (good), noches (nights), a (to), tus (your) and padres (parents).
Which one should you use?
The choice of the word for "your" changes depending on the context. Use tus for a single person you know well, sus when speaking formally and vuestros when addressing a group of people in Spain.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, if you are addressing a group of people, such as siblings, to wish goodnight to their parents, you use buenas noches a vuestros padres.
How does it change in a sentence?
To adjust the phrase for formality, change tus to sus to form buenas noches a sus padres. For a plural or informal group in Spain, use vuestros to form buenas noches a vuestros padres.
Did you know?
- While 'goodnight' is a farewell in English, in Spanish, buenas noches can also be used as a greeting when arriving at a location after sunset.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to kiss both parents on the cheek as a physical accompaniment to saying buenas noches.
- The word padres can mean 'parents' or 'fathers'. Without context, the phrase buenas noches a tus padres could be interpreted as wishing goodnight to a group of fathers.
Examples in context
- ¡Buenas noches, papis! Que duerman bien y tengan bonitos sueños.Goodnight, mom and dad! Sleep well and have pleasant dreams.
- Dale buenas noches a tus padres de mi parte.Give my goodnight to your parents.
- No olvides decir buenas noches a tus padres.Don't forget to say goodnight to your parents.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are talking on the phone late at night.
- Daniel¿Ya es hora de dormir?Is it time to sleep yet?
- MaríaSí, ya me voy a la cama.Yes, I'm going to bed now.
- DanielEstá bien, dale buenas noches a tus padres.Alright, say goodnight to your parents for me.
- MaríaGracias, les diré de tu parte.Thanks, I'll tell them for you.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
