"Good Night" in Spanish
Are you reading this in the evening? If so, ¡buenas noches! In this article, we’re going to explain the use of buenas noches and how to say good night in Spanish.
Good Night in Spanish:
Did you know that buenas noches is used in more than one context? It can be used to say good night or goodbye as well as hello! How can that be? Let’s take a look.
Buenas Noches, I’m Greeting You
Buenos días(good morning), buenas tardes(good afternoon, good evening), and buenas noches (good evening): These three phrases are some of the most basic ways to greet someone in Spanish.
Buenas noches can be used as a greeting, typically from after the sun has gone down until you go to bed. The changeover between buenas tardes and buenas noches can vary depending on the culture, or even on the time of year.
So, how do we know when to switch over?
When should we switch between días/tardes/noches? We’d love to give you a straightforward answer, but el mundo hispanohablante(the Spanish-speaking world) is huge and the unofficial changeover times vary.
There are two things to keep in mind:
- People in Spain usually change over to buenas tardes after they’ve had lunch. Given that it’s common to have lunch at 2 pm—or even 3—this means that people in Spain tend to switch to buenas tardes later than in other spots.
- The switch to buenas noches tends to be linked to sunset. However, if you’re in a location where it gets dark at 5 pm in the winter, we’d suggest you stick with buenas tardes until around 8 pm.
Complicated, isn’t it? If you're not quite sure what to say, don’t be afraid to ask the person you’re speaking to. For example:
Buenos días. ¿O mejor digo buenas tardes ya?(Good morning. Or should I say good afternoon?)
Want to learn more about buenos días? Check out this article.
Buenas Noches, I’m Going to Bed or I’m Leaving
When we want to say good night in Spanish or goodbye in the evening, we also say buenas noches.
For example:
Need more phrases to use when going to bed? Learn how to say “good night” and “sweet dreams” with this article!
So, remember: buenas noches can be used as a greeting in the evening and as a way of saying farewell.
So, buenas noches, dear reader. Son las diez de la noche(It's ten in the evening) here and me voy a la cama(I’m going to bed)!
Brush up on your Spanish basics with these articles about important and useful phrases:
