que tengas un buen día
/ke tenɡas un bwen dia/from spelling rules
To say "have a good day" in Spanish, you use que tengas un buen día.
This phrase is a polite way to wish someone a pleasant day when you are saying goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "that you have a good day", where que functions as a conjunction to express a wish.
Which one should you use?
The default form que tengas un buen día uses the informal tú conjugation, while que tenga un buen día uses the formal usted conjugation.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you might say Que la pases bien to mean "Have a good time". In Argentina, Que tengas un lindo día is used to mean "Have a nice day".
How does it change in a sentence?
For a group of people in Latin America or in a formal context, use que tengan un buen día.
Did you know?
- Even though día and the English 'day' sound similar, they are not related. The Spanish word actually stems from a root meaning 'sky' or 'heaven', whereas the English 'day' comes from a different linguistic lineage.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a wish like que tengas un buen día is often accompanied by a light touch on the arm or a kiss on the cheek among friends.
- The use of que at the start of this phrase is a remnant of an older sentence structure where the word deseo meaning 'I wish' was implied.
Examples in context
- Entiendo… Dima suspiró. Entonces, lamento la confusión. Disfruta de tu Fanta y que tengas un buen día."I see," Dima sighed. "Sorry for the confusion, then. Enjoy your Fanta, and have a good day."This sentence shows how to use que tengas un buen día when finishing a conversation.Tatoeba #548278 by Shishir, translation #547713 by FeuDRenais
- Espero que tenga un buen día.I hope you have a good day.
- Déjeme desearle un buen día.Let me wish you a good day.
- Le deseo un excelente día.I wish you an excellent day.
- Te deseo un día increíble.I wish you an amazing day.
- Pásala bien hoy.Have a good day today.
- Que la pases bien en tu día.Have a good day.
- Espero que tengas un lindo día.I hope you have a nice day.
- Que tengas un buen día de trabajoHave a good day at work
- ¡Adiós, que tengas un buen día!Goodbye, have a good day!
- Muchas gracias, que tengas un buen día también.Thank you very much, have a good day too.
Example conversation
María and Daniel are leaving a coffee shop after a chat.
- MaríaBueno, me voy, ¡que tengas un buen día, Daniel!Well, I'm leaving, have a good day, Daniel!
- DanielIgualmente, María, que tengas un buen día.Likewise, María, have a good day.
- María¡Gracias! Nos vemos luego.Thanks! See you later.
- DanielHasta luego.See you later.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buen, día, que, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
