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
1
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 notesIn 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
Common pairings
buenos días a todos
dar los buenos días
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like buenos días.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
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').
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.
What is the meaning of buenos días?
"buenos días" (interjection) means a Spanish greeting used from waking until around midday, meaning 'good morning'.
