Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buen día | /ˌbwen ˈdia/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
| buenas matinas (Americanism) | feminine, plural |
In Spanish-speaking cultures, the appropriate time to use buenos días is from around sunrise to noon. It 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" (plural).
Which one should you use?
While buenos días is the standard plural form, buen día is a singular version used in some regions to mean "good day" or "good morning". Additionally, buenas matinas is a feminine plural Americanism.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Buenos días is a standard and widely-used phrase suitable for any formal situation. For an extra touch of respect when greeting someone older or of higher social status, you can use Buenos días, señor/señora. In informal settings, you can use the combination Hola, buenos días or the shortened version buenas, which serves as a casual greeting for "hi" or "morning".
Is it said differently in some regions?
The phrase Buenos días, ¿cómo amanece? is commonly heard in some Latin American countries, such as Mexico and Colombia.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective buenos must be masculine and plural to agree with the masculine plural noun días. The form buenas matinas is feminine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- The word días in buenos días is actually a distant relative of the word for 'sky' or 'heaven' in many ancient languages. This is because the word stems from the Proto-Indo-European root *dyḗws, which refers to the bright light of the sky.
- Using buenas is one of the few greetings in Spanish that can be used regardless of whether it is morning, afternoon or evening.
- While buenos días is plural, the singular buen día is often used as a parting wish for the rest of the day rather than just a greeting upon arrival.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence is useful for greeting a group of people.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This sentence shows how to use the phrase as a simple greeting after saying hello.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This sentence shows an expressive way to say good morning.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- ¡Buenos días, estimados clientes!Good morning, esteemed clients!
- ¡Buen día! ¿Dormiste bien?Good morning! Did you sleep well?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier pass each other in an office hallway.
- SofíaBuenos días, Javier.Good morning, Javier.
- JavierBuenos días, Sofía. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Sofía. How are you?
- SofíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- JavierMe alegro mucho.I am very 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.
