¡Que tengas unas buenas vacaciones!
To say "have a great vacation" in Spanish, use ¡Que tengas unas buenas vacaciones!
This phrase is a friendly wish used to tell someone to enjoy their time off from work or school. You can also use the alternative ¡Disfruta de tus vacaciones! to tell someone to "enjoy your vacation."
Which one should you use?
In Spanish, the word for "vacation" is almost always used in the plural form vacaciones.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In parts of Mexico, one may say Que te la pases muy bien en tus vacaciones to mean "Have a great time on your vacation".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the subjunctive mood tengas because it expresses a wish or desire rather than a statement of fact. To use the polite or formal "you", change tengas to tenga. To address more than one person, change tengas to tengan.
Did you know?
- The word vacaciones shares a root with the English word 'vacant', as both describe the act of leaving a space or position empty.
- The word que in this phrase actually descends from the Latin word for 'what', though it functions here like 'that' or 'may'. It is a linguistic survivor that swapped roles with other Latin words.
- Spanish has no single word for 'staycation', so speakers often use vacaciones en casa to describe a holiday spent at home.
Examples in context
- ¡Que tenga unas excelentes vacaciones! ¡Disfrute mucho!Have an excellent vacation! Enjoy it to the fullest!
- Le deseo unas magníficas vacaciones. Se lo ha ganadoI wish you a magnificent vacation. You've earned it.
- Espero que disfrute de sus vacaciones. Nos vemos a su regresoI hope you enjoy your vacation. See you when you return.
Example conversation
Alejandro is leaving for his summer trip and Elena is saying goodbye at the office.
- Elena¡Adiós, Alejandro!Goodbye, Alejandro!
- Alejandro¡Gracias, Elena!Thank you, Elena!
- Elena¡Que tengas unas buenas vacaciones!Have a great vacation!
- Alejandro¡Muchas gracias, nos vemos pronto!Thank you very much, see you soon!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, que, unas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
