buona giornata
buona giornata is the Italian way to say "have a good day".
This phrase is a polite greeting used when saying goodbye to someone to wish them a pleasant day. For a more specific and formal context, you can use Buona giornata di lavoro to mean "have a good working day". If you want to express affection informally, you might say Che tu abbia una bella giornata to mean "may you have a beautiful day".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "good day (duration)". The word giornata is used specifically to refer to the duration or the entire span of the day.
Which one should you use?
Use buona giornata when you are saying goodbye to someone. This differs from buon giorno, which is used when you first greet someone upon meeting them.
Did you know?
- The word giornata traces its roots back to Old French jornee, a word that originally referred to a journey or a day's travel.
- If you wish someone a buona giornata during a sunset, it may be perceived as a mistake since buona serata is used for the evening period.
- The suffix -ata in giornata is used in Italian to transform a point in time into a duration, similar to how corsa is a run.
Examples in context
- Passerò una buona giornata.I am going to have a good day.Tatoeba #12546733 by Guybrush88, translation #679872 by ulyssemc1
- Ha passato una buona giornata?Did you have a good day?Tatoeba #7863032 by Guybrush88, translation #3825448 by CK
- Passa una buona giornata a scuola.Have a good day at school.Tatoeba #7431074 by Guybrush88, translation #5639876 by Hybrid
- Buona giornata, signora Rossi. Mi auguro che il suo giorno sia pieno di felicità e successo.Have a good day, Mrs. Rossi. I hope your day is filled with happiness and success.
- Buona giornata di lavoro, caro collega. Che tutti i tuoi sforzi siano apprezzati.Have a good working day, dear colleague. May all your efforts be appreciated.
- Ciao Laura! Buona giornata! Spero che tutto ti vada bene.Hi Laura! Have a good day! I hope everything goes well for you.
- Buongiorno! Che tu abbia una bella giornata piena di sorrisi e allegria.Good morning! May you have a beautiful day full of smiles and joy.
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are leaving a coffee shop.
- MatteoCiao Martina, buona giornata!Bye Martina, have a good day!
- MartinaGrazie, anche a te, Matteo!Thanks, you too, Matteo!
- MatteoCi vediamo domani.See you tomorrow.
- MartinaA domani!See you tomorrow!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buona giornata, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries giornata, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
