Buenos días in Spanish: 11 alternatives for good morning in Spanish (2024)

The use of buenos días in Spanish is as common as it is to say good morning! But there are other alternatives to greet people in the morning. In this video, you will learn 11 of them.

Here comes option number 1:

#1 Buenos días in Spanish (Good morning)

Buenos días in Spanish is a common way of greeting someone when you first meet them in the morning.

One might say:

• ¡Buenos días! ¿Cómo estás? (Good morning! How are you?)

#2 Buenas (Good ones)

Buenas. (Good morning / good afternoon.) Quite simple, quite universal throughout Latin America.

If somebody like a salesperson or a neighbor, for example, is on the street in front of your house and wants to talk to you, but you don’t have a doorbell, it’s very likely that that person will yell: “¡Buenas!”

This is what I used to do when my mom sent me to the neighbors’ to ask them for a bit of a Mexican herb, epazote.

Let’s say you’re in a mom-and-pop shop, there’s no one attending the shop, you can say buenas to get their attention.

Buenas, buenas.
(Hello, hello.)

Not everybody says “buenas” and some people consider it as being of low socioeconomic status. I love saying buenas, I think it is the most economical and sweet way to say buenos días (good morning).

You can use buenas anytime of the day! It works as a substitute for:

#3 Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)

Buenas tardes is a common greeting used in Spain in the afternoon.

One can say “Buenas tardes!” when meeting a friend in the evening.

#4 Buenas noches (Good night)

Buenas noches is a greeting used in the evening to wish someone a good evening or good night. It is used with both people we know and people we don’t know.

It’s an amazing chunk of Spanish. Chunks will help you a lot in conversations with native speakers. You can get the most important ones for free in our Essential Spanish Chunking kit. Download it now, the link is in the description.

Now, a super fun and new way to take your buenas to the next level. We’re going to follow a fabulous trend that took over TikTok in Spanish in 2021:

This song of the marvelous Chicky Bombom went viral last year. ¡Buenas, buenas!

#5 Holi / Holis (Hello)

Let’s see, quick test: How did you pronounce this word? (Remember the H is mute.)

Holi is a young alternative to hola. This is a more fun and cute way to say hello.

And it’s the perfect greeting to use if you’re feeling young and flirty. We’re simply changing the ending. We change the a for an i. We use “holi” when we are in a good mood, and if it is in text, we usually accompany it with smiley faces.)

Look at Maura doing it!

You can use it too when you want to soften the tone of whatever you’re going to text or say after the initial greeting.

#6 ¿Qué onda? (What’s up?)

The expression “¿Qué onda?” is a casual and informal greeting commonly used among Spanish speakers, particularly in Mexico.

It’s equivalent to asking “What’s up?” in English. Qué onda? is best reserved for casual conversations with friends, family, or peers.

In professional or formal settings, it is best to stick to traditional greetings such as “Buenos días” (Good morning), “Buenas tardes” (Good afternoon), or “Buenas noches” (Good evening).

#7 Qué ondas? (What’s going?)

Similar to “¿Qué onda?“, “¿Qué ondas?” is another informal way of asking someone how they are or what is happening.

This phrase is also part of colloquial Spanish and tends to be used in relaxed environments among friends or acquaintances. It is a slang term, so its usage might vary by region or even by the specific circle of people.

#8 Qué hongo? (Lit. What mushroom?)

“¿Qué hongo?” is a very informal and somewhat quirky way of asking “What’s up?” in Spanish.

The phrase literally translates to “What mushroom?” which, out of context, might seem nonsensical. But in the slang context, it has nothing to do with fungi but is instead a playful and very colloquial take on the traditional greeting.

This expression might not be well understood outside of certain countries or regions where it’s commonly used, so it’s best to be cautious when choosing to use it.

#9 Buen día (Good morning)

Some people think that saying buenos días is wrong because it’s plural and we’re only talking about one day. But, they’re wrong.

The most commonly used chunk in Spanish to say “good morning” is “buenos días”, but you will also hear people say “buen día”.

#10 Muy buenos días (Very good morning)

Muy buenos días. Very good morning? Sounds weird. This one is a bit formal, I would use it on the phone, and if I was working directly with customers.

#11 Felíz dia (Happy day)

Felíz día. Happy day. A longer and popular variation, specially amongst baby boomers in social media is: Felíz y bendecido día. (Happy and blessed day.) Bendecido (Blessed).

We Mexicans are a bit obsessed with the divine. To the point where in Mexico City, you can’t walk a third of a mile without seeing a religious reference. I explore this fact and all the chunks to talk about religion in this video.

My mom greets me sometimes with flowery designs that read things like:

• ¡Feliz lunes! (Happy Monday!)
• ¡Feliz y bendecido martes! (Happy and blessed Tuesday!)
• ¡Feliz y bendecido miércoles! (Happy and blessed Wednesday!)

Wish me a happy and blessed Friday in the comments. Pero en español, por supuesto. It’s just that today is Friday and the body knows it!

Now you know all the important and common ways to greet someone in Spanish, but what about saying goodbye? Well, you could say “adiós” or you could say any of these really cool 7 alternatives instead that you will learn in the linked article.