How to Say “Have a Nice Day” in Portuguese

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tenha um bom dia
tenha um bom dia is the Portuguese way to say "have a nice day".
This phrase is used as a polite way to say goodbye. While it functions as a well-wish, it is more common in service settings or formal interactions than the casual bom dia, which is primarily used as a greeting for "good morning" or "good day".
Meaning: goodbye (phrase)

What does it mean word for word?

The verb tenha is the third-person singular subjunctive form of ter (to have), used here to express a wish or a polite command.

Which one should you use?

The phrase tenha um bom dia is a polite goodbye, whereas the simple bom dia is typically used as a greeting. You can increase the intensity of your wish by replacing the adjective bom (good) with ótimo (great) to say tenha um ótimo dia (have a great day).

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

tenha um bom dia is a formal and polite expression suitable for speaking to strangers or customers because it uses the formal/polite conjugation. For a formal wish, you can also use Que tenha um dia agradável or, specifically in Portugal, Tenha um excelente dia. In informal settings, you might use Tenha um dia legal or the enthusiastic Que tenhas um dia incrível. In Portugal, the informal Desejo-te um dia fantástico is also common.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Brazil, people often say Tenha um dia maravilhoso to mean "Have a marvelous day".

How does it change in a sentence?

While tenha is the standard subjunctive form used for well-wishing, in very informal Brazilian Portuguese, speakers might use the indicative tem in the phrase tem um bom dia.

Did you know?

  • Portuguese speakers often distinguish between a 'good' day (bom) and a 'legal' day, where legal refers to something being 'cool' or 'pleasant' rather than lawful.
  • The word dia for 'day' shares a distant ancient root with the words Deus for 'God' and the names 'Zeus' and 'Jove'.
  • In very casual Brazilian Portuguese, the subjunctive tenha is sometimes replaced by the indicative tem, which technically changes the wish into a statement of fact.

Examples in context

  • Tenha um bom dia.
    Have a nice day.
    This sentence shows a basic way to say "Have a nice day."
    Tatoeba #1158005 by alexmarcelo, translation #30085 by CK
  • Tenha um bom dia!
    Have a nice day!
    This sentence shows how to say "Have a nice day!" with enthusiasm.
    Tatoeba #1351064 by alexmarcelo, translation #30095 by CK
  • Tenha um bom dia, Tom.
    Have a nice day, Tom.
    This sentence shows how to include a name when saying "Have a nice day, Tom."
    Tatoeba #4337101 by ajdavidl, translation #3371184 by CK
  • Que tenha um dia agradável e até breve!
    Have a pleasant day and see you soon!
  • Tchau, mano! Tenha um dia legal!
    Bye, bro! Have a great day!
  • Até logo! Que tenhas um dia incrível!
    See you later! Have an amazing day!
  • 2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Beatriz and Rodrigo are leaving a coffee shop.

  1. Beatriz

    Até logo, Rodrigo.
    See you later, Rodrigo.
  2. Rodrigo

    Tchau, Beatriz. Tenha um bom dia!
    Bye, Beatriz. Have a nice day!
  3. Beatriz

    Obrigada, você também.
    Thank you, you too.
  4. Rodrigo

    Tchau!
    Bye!

Sources

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Lorraine Maddison
Lorraine MaddisonHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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