"Buen día" as a greeting

Question

¡Hola a todos!

We have many Spanish speakers in New Orleans, and in the buiding where I work. I've looked back to 12 pages of past posts, so I have an idea, but I want to run it by my expert friends to get the "definitive" answer. .

I've heard people say "Buen día" instead of "buenos días." I believe from my looking back at past threads that "buen día" is used in several countries, and comes from "(Que le tenga un) buen día."

Is that a common substitution, i.e. "buen día" instead of "buenos días"?

Is "buen día" common, or at least acceptable, as a greeting when you first see someone? For instance, when I arrive at work, I would normally greet someone with "buenos días." Could I just as acceptably say "buen día" without it sounding weird?

Also, given the entire source phrase "Que le tenga un buen día," would "buen día" be better as a parting phrase, like "que le vaya bién" rather than an arrival greeting?

ííMuchas gracias!!

Winkfish

Both are ok. - polenta1, Aug 25, 2017

Answer 1

In my travels to different English-speaking countries and regions, I've come across:

• Good morning
• Morning
• M'n
• G'day
• Good day!
• Hello everyone, good morning!
• Ladies and gentlemen I wish you all a great and wonderful morning!
• Hi!
• Hi honey!
• Hi hon!
• Hiya!
• Hiya'll!
• Hey there!
• Yo!

• List item

  I could go on, but hopefully you get the idea.

It works exactly the same way in Spanish. People don't all speak the same way. Depending on where you are, who you are, and who you're talking to, you may say a variety of things:

• Buenos días
• Buen día
• Buenas
• Días
• Mdias
• Güenas
• Saludos!
• ¡Epa!
• ¡Épale!
• Hola
• Buenos y santos días
• Quiubo

The list also goes on. So don't fret. Buen día, buenos días... makes no difference. You're just being nice, and that's what counts.

Buen días? Looks like a typo there at the bottom.. - 00fac92a, Aug 24, 2017

Excellent answer, Gekkosan. That's sort of what I thought. Gracias!! - Winkfish, Aug 24, 2017

Thanks Guillermo. Fixed. - Gekkosan, Aug 24, 2017

Quiubo??? - polenta1, Aug 25, 2017

Quiubo is "what's up" or "how's it going" common in Mexico. - NKM1974, Aug 25, 2017

Right. "¿Qué hubo?" Widely used in Latin America. - Gekkosan, Aug 25, 2017

In Spain, colloquial & informal "¿Qué tal (estás)?" - NKM1974, Aug 25, 2017

Answer 2

I would use both, "buen día" and "buenos días" with no preference for either one as a greeting.

"Que tenga un buen dia" (no "le") and "que le vaya bien" are perfectly acceptable as parting phrases. I also use "hasta luego" even if I'm not coming back".

Thank you, Guillermo. Would you use both "buen dia" and "buenos dias" coming and going? - Winkfish, Aug 24, 2017

Yes, I would. No preference at all. - 00fac92a, Aug 24, 2017

ahhhh, así hacemos aquí, gracias compi por la aclaración :) - 006595c6, Aug 26, 2017

Answer 3

Well, guillermo said you could, but really, you don't say:

Bueno, me voy ya, buen día.

You have to say: que tenga un buen dÍa

Maybe not in Spain, but people most certainly do say exactly that around here!

Yep. If you read my answer, I made it clear that "I" would. Didn't say everybody. - 00fac92a, Aug 25, 2017

¿En serio? para despedirse? vaya cosas...lo usamos, poco, para saludar...pero nunca para despedirse...se ve que en otras partes si, pensé que era un lapsus, yo los tengo todo el tiempo, jeje, así que no era nada personal - 006595c6, Aug 25, 2017

En serio. I just said it this very morning, while leaving a group of people: "Bien, muchas gracias, ¡buen día! " Then I'm gone. - Gekkosan, Aug 25, 2017

It's all good amiga. :) - 00fac92a, Aug 26, 2017

Answer 4

Thank you, Guillermo. Would you use both "buen dia" and "buenos dias" coming and going? - Winkfish

Well, guillermo said you could, but really, you don't say:

Bueno, me voy ya, buen día.

You have to say: que tenga un buen día.

You do use buenos días alone.

Buenos días, ¿qué tal está todo el mundo?

But this is a greeting, you do not say it to say "good-bye".

I wonder if that was what you were asking .

Answer 5

While in Bolivia I often heard just "Buenas".

ves, igual que aquí - 006595c6, Aug 26, 2017

Answer 6

Buenas y santas.

Has anyone heard this one?
It's a cliché for people of the rural areas or maybe something old-fashioned.

Ever heard?

Answer 7

I use buenas dias y buen dia all the time and hear it said to me all the time in Spain Canarias. Also 'que tenga buen dia'.

Welcome to the forum. There is an edit button that lets you add or correct things after you have submitted mitted it. - Mardle, Aug 26, 2017

Answer 8

Here's a previously discussed thread from 2015. Saying Bueno, Buenos or Buenas Instead of Repeating Buenos Días, etc.

Wow! You find everything. That's great! :) - rac1, Aug 25, 2017

Answer 9

Oh, and 'buenas' too. Perhaps even more so. I forgot to add that one to my previous post.

this is perfectly ok, eno, you can just post another post, we all do , thanks for participating on this thread. - 006595c6, Aug 26, 2017

I want to say Welcome to SpanishDict too. :) - rac1, Aug 26, 2017

Answer 10

I would like to add as a final thought that "buen día" is still used, but considered rather old-fashioned.

I think it is similar to the usage of "good day" , a rather old-fashioned way to say hello.

I found this here

Maybe Ray can confirm.

Actually, "good day" is British. But, maybe it is old fashioned too. :) - rac1, Aug 26, 2017

Answer 11

Oh, and 'buenas' too. Perhaps even more so. I forgot to add that one to my previous post.

Hi eno, nice to have you around, welcome to the forum

Where do you live in the Canary Islands, my one and only favourite diving place

You are right, here in Spain, we use "buenas" all the time to say hi or hello.

However, we do not use it to say good-bye, that surprised me.

Answer 12

I would like to add as a final thought that "buen día" is still used, but considered rather old-fashioned.

Again, that depends on where you are. Today, for example, once again: two of my family members and I were on an elevator, and a lady rode with us. When we exited, all four of us said just one thing: "Buen día".