buenos días
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
The English phrase "good day" is translated into Spanish as buenos días. Wiktionary also lists buenas.
Meaning: greeting between sunrise and sunset (intj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
buenos días is a greeting used between sunrise and sunset. For a more formal way to say "good day", you can use Buen día. If you wish to say "have a good day", use the formal expression Que tenga un buen día or the informal expression Que tengas un buen día.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase buenos días literally translates to "good days" in the plural form.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The shortened form buenas is an informal way to say "good day" or "hello" at any time of day. For formal settings, use Buen día or the expression Que tenga un buen día.
How does it change in a sentence?
Even though días is plural, the phrase buenos días is used as a singular greeting equivalent to "good morning" or "good day".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- In certain regions, buenos días can be used sarcastically to wake someone up who has slept far past sunrise, effectively meaning 'wake up already'.
- The word días shares a root with the English word 'diurnal', which describes animals or processes that are active during the day.
- While English speakers use 'good day' as a polite farewell, a Spanish speaker saying buenos días is usually arriving rather than leaving.
Examples in context
- Buenos días. ¿Qué quieres?Good day. What do you want?This sentence shows how to use buenos días in a question.Tatoeba #3268528 by cueyayotl, translation #2310291 by Gulo_Luscus
- Buenos días.Good day.This is a simple use of buenos días.Tatoeba #2258235 by hayastan, translation #1844755 by wwkudu
- ¡Buenos días!Good day!This shows buenos días used as an exclamation.Tatoeba #403913 by cueyayotl, translation #855284 by pirytm
- Buenos días, señor. ¿Cómo está usted hoy?Good day, sir. How are you today?
- Que tenga un buen día, doctora.Have a good day, doctor.
- ¡Buen día, amigos! ¿Qué les parece si vamos a tomar un café?Good day, friends! How about going for a coffee?
- Espero que tengas un buen día en el trabajo.I hope you have a good day at work.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and María meet in the hallway at work in the morning.
- JavierBuenos días, María.Good morning, María.
- MaríaHola, Javier. ¿Cómo estás?Hello, Javier. How are you?
- JavierMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- MaríaMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good day” translations and entries buenos días, buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buenas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
