7 Ways to say have a good day in Spanish just like Latinos do it (2024)

Perhaps you want to start a conversation with your neighbor by wishing him a good day, or maybe you just want to be kind to Spanish speakers, and you want to say “have a good” day in Spanish, how can you say that as they do it?

It’s not the same if you translate “have a good day” on Google Translator than if you use the same phrases that Spanish native speakers use in their everyday life.

If you talk like them and use the language and they use, it’s more likely to start nice and friendly conversations.

In this article, I’m going to share with you 8 different ways to say “have a good day” in Spanish, so you can be kind to people on your next trip to Latin America, or when you visit your Spanish-speaking family.

Now, before we go on with these phrases, there’s something we need to clarify about pronouns and how people use them.

Pick your pronoun carefully

I am married; me and my wife are Colombians, and it’s funny how a single pronoun can make the difference in a conversation between her and me. Let me explain myself…

If my wife says to me: “Qué tenga un buen día”, which is a translation for “have a good day” in Spanish, my immediate thought would be that something’s up like she’s mad at me.

Depending on how you use the pronoun “usted” it may sound aggressive among couples in Spanish, and the reason is that it may sound a little too formal; something you would use with people you are just meeting or with strangers.

If you are married to a Spanish native speaker take my advice and don’t use “usted”; go with “tú” instead when you’re talking to him or her.

“Tú” sounds more familiar, and it makes you sound a little more accessible, friendly, and even lovely (with your significant other).

However, if you want to talk to your neighbor, it would be okay if you go with “usted”. On the other hand, if you are friends with someone and you want to make this person feel like this friendship is well-established then you should use “tú”.

Now in the following phrases, you won’t see any of these two pronouns. We’re going to use them implicitly, which means that we’re not pronouncing them, but because of the way we’re conjugating the verbs we know they’re there, influencing sentences.

I’ll let you know which pronoun we’re using though.

So, without further a do, here’s how to say “have a good day” in Spanish:

#1 Qué tengas un buen día

As I said before, this is the exact translation for saying “have a good day” in Spanish. This one is perfect if you want to wish your wife or your husband a good day in Spanish.

  • (tú) Qué tengas un buen día: Have a good day.

Here’s how we would use this phrase in a regular conversation:

–¿Desayunaste?

–Sí, muchas gracias amor, estaba muy bueno el café. Nos vemos en la noche.

–Bueno, cuidate.Qué tengas un buen día.

Now imagine that the person who just had this conversation with his wife is now taking the elevator and runs into his neighbor there, this is how the phrase might show up in a quick chat:

–Buenos días, ¿cómo está?

–Bien ¿y usted?

–Bien gracias. Voy algo tarde para el trabajo.

–Mejor se apura, vecino. Qué tenga un buen día.

Notice that among Neighbors, the characters are using “usted” just to show some formality, but they’re saying the same thing: “have a good day” in Spanish.

  • (Usted) Qué tenga un buen día: Have a good day.

#2 Qué estés bien

This is one of the phrases that I use the most when I want to wish a good day to someone, and I like to use it because it sounds informal and friendly.

  • (tú) Qué estés bien: Hope you do well.

If you translate this phrase to English, you’ll notice that you’re not wishing the other person a good day, but for Spanish speakers is the same idea, you’re just wishing him or her well-being during the day.

Here’s a shot script of how my last phone conversation with my dad went, and how I said goodbye to him:

–Bueno pa, entonces hablamos más tarde.

–Listo hijo, cuidate mucho.

–Claro, hablamos después,qué estés bien, chao.

Of course, we can also change the pronoun to make it a little more formal:

  • (Usted) Qué esté bien: Hope you do well.

Like when you’re saying bye to your doctor after an appointment and you want to wish him a good day:

–Bueno doctor, muchas gracias por todo.

–Recuerde tomar el antibiótico por 7 días.

–Listo, sí señor. Muchas gracias.Qué esté bien, hasta luego.

Also, if you’re talking to a group of people you may use this phrase using the conjugation that corresponds to “ustedes”, which is the plural “you” in Spanish.

  • Qué estén bien: Hope you guys do well.

Like when you’re wishing a good day to your work mates who leave early:

–Diego, hasta luego. Nos vamos temprano hoy.

–Ahh, excelente, cuidense,qué estén bien.

#3 Qué te vaya bien

If you are going to use this phrase, then what you’re saying exactly is:I hope it goes well.

“Qué te vaya bien” is using the pronoun “tú” implicitly, but if you’d like it to sound formal, then you may say:

  • Qué le vaya bien (usted).

Of course, this is another way to say goodbye, a very particular way to fare well in Spanish.

It’s also very common to say this when you just want to wish someone a good day.

Like when you go to a store, you buy something, and then the cashier wishes you a good day like this:

–¿Cuánto es?

–Son 24.000 pesos.

–Tome, muchas gracias.

–Gracias a usted. Hasta luego.Qué le vaya bien.

Related:55 Different words and phrases to say goodbye in Spanish + 17 unique Colombian ways to say bye.

Now for talking to a group of people, you would need to use the pronoun “ustedes”, and if we say that implicitly, then we’d get:

  • Qué les vaya bien.

#4 Qué tengas un bonito día

The translation for this one would be“I hope you have a beautiful day”.

I think this is a very poetic way to wish a good day in Spanish. Some people even replace the word “bonito”, with “hermoso”, like this:

  • Qué tengas un bonito día.
  • Qué tengas un hermoso día.

If you use the pronoun “usted”, and if you’re telling this to someone you have a close relationship with, then you’ll probably sound like you are mad or like if you were being sarcastic.

Now, if you use it under a formal context, like when you wish a good day to your customers, then it’ll sound very appropriate and educated.

  • Qué tenga un bonito día.
  • Qué tenga un hermoso día.

That’s weird, right? It’s as if being formal was offensive in close and intimate relationships. Here’s an example of how a conversation like that would sound:

–¿Por qué estás tan seria hoy?

–Piense a ver qué fue lo que usted hizo.

–¿Qué? No te entiendo.

–Cómo sea, me tengo que ir. Qué tenga un bonito día.

Man, if you’re wife talks like that to you, she’s mad… really mad!

#5 Buen día

This is an abbreviated way to say the previous sentence.

It means: “good day”, and people might say it just as when you say “have a good day” in English. Like in the following example:

–Muchas gracias por todo. Nos vemos la próxima semana.

–Listo, gracias por venir. Buen día.

Interestingly, this phrase also works for saying good morning in Spanish, like this:

–Hola buen día, ¿sabe donde puedo encontrar el hospital?

–Buen día, voltee en la próxima esquina. Ahí lo encuentra.

I have to add that this short phrase sounds formal, and it’s not being affected by any pronoun.

#6 Feliz día

The translation for this is “happy day”.

It’s funny, it’s not very common to wish another person a good day using this phrase in Spanish, but recently, a friend responded to a message I sent her like this:

Me:Hola, Jenny. ¿Cómo les fue en el viaje? ¿Cómo está la carretera? Mi esposa y yo vamos a viajar hoy por ese mismo camino.

Friend: Feliz día, Diego. La carretera está muy mala, nos tomó casí 11 horas llegar a Medellín.

You need to be prepared to hear or see messages like this in conversations.

In my opinion, “Feliz día” sounds more like to use it at the end of a letter, like this:

Apreciado Diego:

Muchas gracias por el artículo que escribiste en tu blog esta mañana. Aprendí muchas maneras de decir “have a good day” in Spanish.

Feliz día,

Mark.

#7 Te deseo el mejor de los días.

If we translate this sentence into English, then we’ll get:

I wish you the best of the days

This is a kind way to tell someone that your desire is for him or her to have a nice day in Spanish.

Does that sound poetic to you? Then it’s good to use on your significant other or even with your customers if you want to treat them as special people, like in the following example:

–Muchas gracias por su compra.

–A usted por su amabilidad.

–Le deseo el mejor de los días.

–Gracias

Conclusion

And there you go, these are seven different ways to tell someone to have a good day in Spanish.

As a quick summary, here’s the list of the different phrases and sentences we had today:

  1. Qué tengas un buen día
  2. Qué estés bien
  3. Qué te vaya bien
  4. Qué tengas un bonito día
  5. Buen día
  6. Feliz día
  7. Te deseo el mejor de los días.

If you know another way to express this idea in Spanish, then don’t hesitate to share it with me in the comments below:

7 Ways to say have a good day in Spanish just like Latinos do it (2024)

FAQs

How do you wish someone a nice day in Spanish? ›

In Spanish, when we want to wish someone a good day, we say: "que tengas buen día" for the pronoun TÚ "que tenga buen día" for the pronoun USTED; or "que tengan buen día" for the pronoun USTEDES. Another way of saying it is "que tengas bonito día".

How do you respond to have a good day in Spanish? ›

Replies. Bien, gracias. – Well, thanks. Muy bien.

What is have a good day in Puerto Rican Spanish? ›

Que tenga un buen día. (kay TAYN gah oon bweyn DEE ah): Have a good day. This is the formal version of this phrase, which you would say to people you don't know very well. In a more casual setting, as when saying “Goodbye” to dear friends and family members, you could say, que tengas instead of que tenga.

What is Spanish slang for okay? ›

There's no literal translation for órale in English. Instead, it can mean one of a few different expressions, such as: “o*kay”

What to say instead of have a nice day? ›

synonyms for have a nice day
  • adieu.
  • bon voyage.
  • goodbye.
  • adios.
  • bye-bye.
  • cheerio.
  • ciao.
  • hasta la vista.

What are five Spanish greetings? ›

Here are the most common greetings in Spanish:
  • Hola – Hello.
  • Buenas – Hi (informal)
  • Buenos días – Good morning.
  • Buen día – Good morning (less common, used in Argentina)
  • Buenas tardes – Good afternoon.
  • Buenas noches – Good evening.
  • Bienvenido – Welcome.

What are 3 different greetings in Spanish? ›

1.1 Greetings in Spanish
  • Hola - Hello.
  • Buenos días - Good morning.
  • Buenas tardes - Good afternoon.
  • Buenas noches - Good evening.

What are 3 formal greetings in Spanish? ›

Initial Greetings
SpanishEnglish equivalentFormality
Buenos díasGood morningSlightly formal
Buenas tardesGood afternoonSlightly formal
Buenas nochesGood night/Good eveningSlightly formal
Muy buenas/buenasShort version of all the aboveInformal
1 more row

Can you say Buenos Dias all day? ›

Spanish greetings for certain moments of the day

Buenos días – literally meaning “good days”, “buenos días” is more formal than “hola” and it translates to “good morning”. The same as in English, this greeting can be used anytime before noon in both formal and informal contexts.

What is Esta Bonita? ›

Gladiolus Esta Bonita translates to Its Pretty and pretty it is.

How do Dominicans say have a good day? ›

Another feature of the Dominican accent shared with other Spanish speakers from El Caribe (the Caribbean) is eliminating or aspirating the letter “s.” The common phrase “Que tengas un buen día” (Have a good day) sounds like “Que tenga' un buen día.”

How do Puerto Ricans say handsome? ›

Chulo. Chulo is another slang word used in some countries like Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Puerto Rico. It is an informal word that means “handsome”, “good-looking”, or even “cute”.

What does WAP mean in Spanish? ›

Translations. WAP. WAP, (Protocolo de aplicación inalámbricaprotocolo WAP) Wireless Application Protocol, the ~ Noun.

What does Chula mean in Spanish? ›

chulo/chula

In Mexican Spanish, chulo/chula is the word you're looking to use if you find something (or someone, but in a kind, non-sexual nor romantic way) really pretty. Use it to compliment a part of someone's outfit or to tell someone you think they look cute today.

Does Hombre mean dude? ›

Other definitions for hombre (2 of 2)

a man;fellow;guy:That sheriff is a mean hombre.

What means Hasta manana? ›

hasta mañana in American English

(mɑˈnjɑnɑ ) Spanish. so long; (I'll) see you tomorrow.

What should I reply to Hola? ›

This phrase means “how are you?” and can be used not only to find out how somebody is feeling, but can also be used as a way to say hello. If in passing someone says “hola!” to you, it would acceptable to reply: “como estas?

How do Mexicans say bye? ›

How to say "goodbye"
  • Adiós. Goodbye.
  • Chau. Bye! ( casual)
  • Nos vemos. See you (casual)
  • Hasta mañana. See you tomorrow.
  • Hasta luego. See you later.

How do you greet a Latina? ›

The common verbal greeting is “Buenos dias” (Good day), “Buenas tardes” (Good afternoon) or “Buenas noches” (Good evening/night) depending on the time of day. A more casual greeting is “Hola” (Hello), “¿Qué tal?” (What's up?) or “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?).

What is the most neutral Spanish greeting? ›

For verbal greeting, “¡Hola!” is used as a valid and neutral greeting almost any occasion yet on formal occasions, it will be more correct to use expressions like “¡Buenos días!”, “¡Buenas tardes!” and “¡Buenas noches!” which also can be used to say goodbye.

How do Latinos greet each other? ›

When greeting someone in Mexico, it is customary to make physical contact, rather than simply saying “hello.” A handshake is the most common form of greeting between strangers, though friends will usually greet each other with a single kiss on the cheek. The same physical gestures are repeated when you say goodbye.

Is Cómo estás formal? ›

If you'd like to say “Hello, how are you?” in Spanish, you can use “*Hola, ¿cómo estás?” (informal/singular). If you are greeting someone in a more formal setting, you'll want to use “Hola, ¿cómo está?” (formal/singular).

What is the most formal greeting? ›

The most respectful greetings are formal ones like "hello," or time-related greetings like "good morning" or "good evening." To make it even more respectful, add the listener's formal title afterwards, like "hello, Mr. or Mrs. ______," or even "hello, sir or ma'am."

Who says buen día? ›

Buenos días is a common expression in Spanish—and one of the first things Spanish-language learners pick up. Buenos means “good” and días literally means “days” in Spanish, but refers to daylight or the morning more generally. Taken together, the two mean “good day” or “good morning”.

Do men say Buenos or Buenas? ›

Thank you for helping zarana! Buenos is masculine plural, buenas is feminine plural. In general - there are some exceptions - words ending with -o are masculine and words ending with -a are feminine.

What do we call no in Spanish? ›

Even if you are an absolute beginner, you already know the two most important words in Spanish. Let me break it down for you: Sí (Yes). No (No). Great job!

What is Chiquita Bonita mean? ›

What Does "Chiquita" Mean in English? bonita chiquita. pretty little girl.

What is Bonita Dia? ›

Bonita Dia is a Latin-American rhumba for string orchestra that will have your students dancing in their seats! Full of rhythmic intensity, this piece may be enhanced by the addition of optional percussion instruments.

What is beautiful girl in Mexican? ›

To say “beautiful girl,” you would say "niña hermosa."

Is Dominican and Mexican Spanish the same? ›

If you studied peninsular Spanish —the variation of Spanish spoken in Spain— or even Mexican Spanish, you will find that Dominican Spanish is quite different. But don't worry! It's still the same language and once you learn the differences and get used to the accent, you won't find it hard to understand.

What does Opa mean Dominican slang? ›

dumb person. 10. Colloquial. opa [adj] BO AR UY derog. dumb.

How do Dominicans say wassup? ›

8. Dominican Slang Words: ¿Qué lo que? What it means: What's up? In a sentence: ¿Qué lo que?

What is a Puerto Rican insult? ›

Chingar” is a curse word for several countries like Mexico and Puerto Rico; In other countries it is not seen as a curse word at all.

What does Bichota mean in Spanish? ›

The term refers to “a moment of feeling sexy, flirtatious, daring, strong, empowered, and to a certain extent, [it] translates into personal motivation and self-confidence,” she tells Billboard. “We are all super 'Bichotas' inside.

Is Guapo an insult? ›

Most people are used to this adjective meaning that someone is handsome or good-looking. While a Dominican will understand what you mean if you use it this way, for us, guapo, means angry when paired with the verb ESTAR and brave or someone who is always ready for a fight when paired with the verb SER.

What does pushing P mean urban dictionary? ›

What does pushing P mean? Pushing P (usually styled as pushin P or pushin' P) is a slang term that's most commonly used to roughly mean acting with integrity and style while maintaining and displaying one's success (similar to the meaning of the slang terms keeping it player and keeping it real).

What makes a WAP a WAP? ›

Over the summer, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion blessed the world by dropping the sex-positive, empowering banger, "WAP." The title is an acronym for “wet ass puss*,” and the song itself seeks to normalize and celebrate female-identifying people being unapologetically sexual and prioritizing their pleasure.

Is Mami Chula offensive? ›

But it's definitely also sexual. When a guy calls you “chula,” I'm like, yes, please. At the same time, it does carry some negative connotations, like when you walk down the street and a guy calls you, “Mami chula.” That's offensive.

Does Chulo mean daddy? ›

A direct translation of papi chulo from Spanish is “pimp daddy,” with papi being a diminutive form of “father” (and used like “baby”) and chulo meaning “pimp” but also “attractive,” “co*cky,” or “cool” in colloquial settings. Chulo alone has a storied history in American English.

Is Chulo a word? ›

noun, plural chu·los [choo-laws; English choo-lohz]. Spanish. a dandified or effeminate man.

What is a Chico person? ›

/ˈtʃiːkəʊ/ (plural chicos) (US English, from Spanish, informal) ​a boy or young man.

What is a Chico boy? ›

Chico (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtʃiko]) means small, boy or child in the Spanish language.

What is Spanish slang for homie? ›

el amiguete (Span.) homie or: homey chiefly - shortened version of homeboy which means "close friend from the neighborhood" (Amer.) [sl.] el cuate (Lat.

Can you say Buenos días all day? ›

Spanish greetings for certain moments of the day

Buenos días – literally meaning “good days”, “buenos días” is more formal than “hola” and it translates to “good morning”. The same as in English, this greeting can be used anytime before noon in both formal and informal contexts.

What does Feliz Cumpleano? ›

Feliz cumpleaños – this is the literal translation of “happy birthday” in Spanish. Feliz cumple – ccumpleis the colloquial way of saying cumpleaños in Spanish, so it should be used with close people in informal meetings.

What are popular Spanish sayings? ›

15 Spanish Sayings for the Language Learner's Soul
  • Año nuevo, vida nueva. ...
  • A cada cerdo le llega su San Martín. ...
  • El que la hace, la paga. ...
  • A mal tiempo, buena cara. ...
  • Más ven cuatro ojos que dos. ...
  • Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres. ...
  • Dios los cría, y ellos se juntan. ...
  • Donde hay confianza, da asco.
4 Apr 2022

How do you wish someone get well soon in Spanish? ›

Saying Get Well Soon
  • Espero que te mejores - I hope you get better (pronounced: S-per-Oh ke teh meh-HO-res)
  • Espero que te sientas mejor - I hope you feel better (pronounced: S-per-Oh ke teh see-n-tad meh-Hor)
  • Que te mejores pronto - Get well soon (pronounced: ke teh meh-HO-res pron-toh)
4 Feb 2021

What can I say instead of warm wishes? ›

Alternatives to ''Warm Wishes''
  • Sincerely.
  • Thank you.
  • Very best.
  • Kind regards.
  • Sincere regards.
  • Best regards.
  • Looking forward to your response.
  • Yours faithfully.
26 Nov 2021

What does que tal mean? ›

que tal ? - what of it?

How do Mexicans say hello? ›

The common verbal greeting is “Buenos dias” (Good day), “Buenas tardes” (Good afternoon) or “Buenas noches” (Good evening/night) depending on the time of day. A more casual greeting is “Hola” (Hello), “¿Qué tal?” (What's up?) or “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?).

Does Hasta luego mean? ›

Translated literally from Spanish to English, hasta luego means “until then.” (Until then is used in English in the exact same way—to say you'll see someone soon.)

What's nos vamos? ›

Nos vamos. means: We're leaving or going (away from a place). OR: Nos vamos a la playa. We're leaving for the beach. That is, when these phrases are used in speech like that.

What does gung ho mean in Spanish? ›

gung-ho. adjective. 1 (over-enthusiastic) (tontamente) optimista; (locamente) entusiasta.

What does cuando mean in Spanish slang? ›

The Spanish word cuando usually the equivalent of the English "when," although its use is far more versatile than the English word. It can serve as a preposition, conjunction, or adverb, and it frequently is used in situations where "when" doesn't work as a translation.

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