Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buenos días | /ˌbwenos ˈdias/ | |
| buen día | /ˌbwen ˈdia/ | |
| buenas | /ˈbwenas/ | informal |
| buenas matinas (Americanism) | feminine, plural |
Buenos días 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?
Buenos días is used specifically in the morning, whereas buenas tardes is used for the afternoon. While buenos días is the most common form, buen día uses the singular masculine form of the adjective and noun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Buenas is an informal, shortened version of buenos días or buenas tardes used as a casual greeting that can mean "hi" or "hello".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Latin America, people may use Buen día instead of Buenos días to say "good morning". The form buenas matinas is an Americanism.
How does it change in a sentence?
Buen día uses the singular masculine form of the adjective and noun. The form buenas matinas is feminine and plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌbwenos ˈdias/
Did you know?
- The word día comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *dyḗws, meaning 'heaven' or 'sky'.
- In some formal or old-fashioned contexts, buenos días can be used as a polite way to end a conversation or say goodbye in the morning.
- The singular buen día is more common in the Southern Cone of Latin America, such as in Argentina and Chile, than in Spain.
Examples in context
- Buenos días a todos.Good morning, everybody.This sentence is useful for greeting a group.Tatoeba #527255 by Shishir, translation #22122 by CK
- Hola Tom. Buenos días.Hello, Tom. Good morning.This sentence is useful for a simple greeting.Tatoeba #1100827 by Shishir, translation #30314 by CM
- ¡Buenos días, cielo azul!Good morning, blue skies!This sentence is useful for a poetic greeting.Tatoeba #1457801 by marcelostockle, translation #1457802 by marcelostockle
- ¡Buenos días! ¿Dormiste bien?Good morning! Did you sleep well?
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier meet in a shared office in the morning.
- LucíaBuenos días, Javier.Good morning, Javier.
- JavierBuenos días, Lucía. ¿Cómo estás?Good morning, Lucía. How are you?
- LucíaMuy bien, gracias.Very well, thank you.
- JavierMe alegro mucho.I am very glad.
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.
