Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buen día | /ˌbwen ˈdia/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
| buenas matinas (Americanism) | feminine, plural |
The phrase is used when seeing someone for the first time in the morning.
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 way to say good morning, buen día is often used more as a wish, such as telling someone to have a good day.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Buenos días is the common standard. You may use buenas as an informal, shortened greeting when the specific time of day is implied or when greeting someone casually. In more formal settings, one might say Le deseo buenos días to mean "I wish you a good morning".
Is it said differently in some regions?
buenas matinas is an Americanism.
How does it change in a sentence?
buen día is the singular form of the phrase, which uses the masculine singular adjective buen instead of the plural buenos días. The form buenas matinas is feminine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- The word día in buenos días shares a common root with the word for 'heaven' or 'sky' in Proto-Indo-European, specifically *dyḗws.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is considered impolite to start a conversation or ask for a favor without first saying buenos días.
- Depending on the country, the preference for buen día versus buenos días can signal a regional identity, such as distinguishing Argentine Spanish from Spanish spoken in Spain.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence shows how to address a group using buenos días.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This sentence shows a casual morning greeting using buenos días.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This sentence uses buenos días as an affectionate greeting.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- Buenas, ¿qué tal? ¿Dormiste bien?Morning! How are you? Did you sleep well?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier meets Maria at a local cafe in the morning.
- JavierBuenos días, María.Good morning, Maria.
- MaríaBuenos días, Javier. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Javier. How are you?
- JavierMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thanks.
- MaríaMe alegra escucharlo.I am happy to hear that.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good morning” translations and entries buenos días, buen día, buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buen, buenas, día, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
