que tengas un excelente día
/ke tenɡas un eɡsθelente dia/from spelling rules
To say 'hope you have a great day' in Spanish, use que tengas un excelente día.
This phrase is a friendly wish used when saying goodbye to someone to express a desire for their day to be pleasant.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase que tengas un excelente día literally translates to 'that you have an excellent day'.
Which one should you use?
The word excelente means 'excellent'. If you want to say 'hope you have a good day', you can use the more common and standard que tengas un buen día. Another very common alternative used when parting ways is ¡Que te vaya bien!, which means 'Hope it goes well for you!'
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the subjunctive mood tengas because it expresses a wish rather than a fact.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, wishes like que tengas un excelente día are often accompanied by a light touch on the arm or a double cheek kiss, depending on the relationship and the region.
- While the English word 'day' comes from a root meaning 'dawn', the Spanish word día originates from a Proto-Indo-European word for 'heaven' or 'sky'.
- Depending on the country, using excelente instead of buen can shift the phrase from a casual parting to a very formal or professional tone, such as in a hotel or corporate setting.
Examples in context
- Adiós, que tengas un excelente día en el trabajo.Goodbye, hope you have a great day at work.
- Muchas gracias, que tengas un excelente día tú también.Thank you very much, hope you have a great day too.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are saying goodbye after meeting at a cafe.
- SofíaFue un gusto verte, Daniel.It was nice seeing you, Daniel.
- DanielIgualmente, Sofía. ¡Que tengas un excelente día!Likewise, Sofía. Hope you have a great day!
- SofíaGracias, igualmente para ti.Thanks, same to you.
- DanielNos vemos pronto.See you soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries día, excelente, que, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
