buenos días
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
The English phrase "hello in the morning" is translated into Spanish as buenos días.
buenos días is used as a greeting from sunrise until around noon or lunchtime. Once the afternoon begins, you should switch from buenos días to buenas tardes.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buenos días literally translates to "good days".
Which one should you use?
While buenos días is the standard plural form, the singular buen día is also used in many Spanish-speaking regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Latin America, people may use Buen día instead of Buenos días in more informal contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must be either buenos días (plural) or buen día (singular).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the singular 'día' with the plural 'buenos', but the phrase must be either buenos días (plural) or buen día (singular).
Did you know?
- Although día means 'day', it is a masculine noun, which is why the phrase uses the masculine adjective buenos instead of the feminine buenas.
- The word días comes from the Latin 'dies', which is a relative of the English word 'diurnal', meaning things that happen during the daylight.
- While buenos días is a greeting, saying ¡Buen día! in certain South American countries can also function as a way to wish someone a pleasant day as you leave.
Examples in context
- Buenos días, señora Rodríguez. ¿Cómo amaneció hoy?Good morning, Mrs. Rodríguez. How did you wake up today?
- Muy buenos días, estimado cliente. ¿En qué puedo ayudarlo hoy?Very good morning, esteemed client. How can I assist you today?
- Señor Gutiérrez, buenos días. ¿Cómo amaneció hoy? ¿Descansó usted bien?Mr. Gutiérrez, good morning. How did you wake up today? Did you rest well?
- ¡Buen día, mamá! ¿Qué hay para el desayuno hoy?Good morning, mom! What's for breakfast today?
- ¡Hola, Juan! ¿Cómo estás esta mañana? ¿Descansaste bien?Hello, Juan! How are you this morning? Did you rest well?
- ¡Hola, Ana! ¿Qué tal tu mañana? ¿Te levantaste temprano hoy?Hello, Ana! How is your morning going? Did you wake up early today?
- ¡Buenos días a todos!Good morning to everyone!
- Buenos días, ¿cómo estás?Good morning, how are you?
- Hola, buenos días, señora.Hello, good morning, ma'am.
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía pass each other in an apartment hallway during the morning.
- MateoBuenos días, Lucía.Good morning, Lucía.
- Lucía¡Hola, Mateo! ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Mateo! How are you?
- MateoMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- LucíaQué bueno. ¡Que tengas un buen día!That's good. Have a nice day!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buenos días, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
