interjection

buenos días

BWEH-nos DEE-ass

Buenos días (interjection) means a Spanish greeting used from waking until around midday, meaning 'good morning'. Example: “Buenos días — did you sleep well?”

interjection

A Spanish greeting used from waking until around midday, meaning 'good morning'.

"Buenos días — did you sleep well?"

"She said buenos días to the doorman on her way out."

How to Use Buenos días

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishSpanish for good morning.

When to use it

Works in every register, from formal offices to family kitchens. Note the odd-looking agreement: día ends in -a but is a masculine noun, so it takes buenos.

Memory tip

Día is masculine despite the -a ending, so it is buenos días, never buenas días.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

buenas tardes buenas noches → buenas días

Common pairings

buenos días a todos dar los buenos días

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “buenos días” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

_____ — did you sleep well?

Etymology

Spanish, literally 'good days': buenos, the masculine plural of bueno ('good'), with días, the plural of día ('day').

Origin: Spanish

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it 'buenos días' or 'buenas días'?

It is buenos días. Día is one of the small group of Spanish nouns that end in -a but are masculine, so the adjective takes the masculine plural buenos. Tarde and noche are feminine, which is why they take buenas.

Until what time do you say buenos días?

Generally until lunchtime, which in Spain can be as late as two in the afternoon and elsewhere is nearer midday. After that people switch to buenas tardes.

Why is it plural?

The greeting is a shortened form of an older wish along the lines of 'may you have good days'. The plural has simply stuck, as it has in buenas tardes and buenas noches.