Good Night in Spanish

Just like in English, a large number of expressions exist in Spanish to say “good night”. The exact equivalent is buenas noches, which unlike in English, is used not only when leaving or going to bed, but also to greet people when arriving at a place after dusk.

Depending on how formal or informal a situation is, different expressions may be used that will be suitable for each context:

1. Buenas noches / Good night

Though it may be used in all situations, this expression may sound somewhat formal in casual everyday life.

—Buenas noches a todos. Que descansen.
Good night. Sleep well.
—Gracias, igualmente.
Thank you. The same to you.

2. Chau, hasta mañana / Bye, see you tomorrow

Similar in tone to good night, both expressions are typically used together. Chau (meaning bye) is an informal, very casual farewell greeting. Hasta mañana is literally translated as “see you tomorrow”.

—Chau, hasta mañana. Buenas noches.
Bye. See you tomorrow. Good night.
—Buenas noches. Que descanses.
Good night. Sleep well.

3. Que descanses / Sleep well

Translated as “sleep well” or “have a good rest”, this expression is used in neutral contexts usually in combination with buenas noches.

—Buenas noches. Que descanses.
Good night. Sleep well.
—Gracias, tú también. Hasta mañana.
Thanks, you too. See you tomorrow.

4. Que duermas bien / Sleep tight

This expression is used in neutral and casual contexts. It is equivalent in meaning and tone to que descanses.

—Nos vemos mañana. Que duermas bien.
See you tomorrow. Sleep tight.
—Gracias. Que descanses.
Thank you. Sleep well.

5. Que tengas una buena noche / Have a good night’s sleep

This is a very polite expression. Longer phrases tend to be more formal and sound more polite than short, brisk, and straightforward ones.

—Que tengas una buena noche. Hasta mañana.
Have a good night’s sleep. See you tomorrow.
—¡Gracias! ¡Lo mismo para ti!
Thank you! The same to you!

6. Que sueñes con los angelitos / Sweet dreams

Used only to address little children, the literal translation is “sleep of little angels”.

—Buenas noches, mi amor. Que sueñes con los angelitos.
Night, sweetheart. Sweet dreams.
—Buenas noches, mamá.
Night, Mom.

Note: For all “good night” expressions starting with que, the subjunctive is used. The conjunction que (in this case translated as “may you”) is not accented.

7. Dulces sueños / Sweet dreams

This expression is a sweet, loving way of wishing good night, and is therefore used with family members and little children. Used in other contexts, it will sound out of place.

—Dulces sueños, querida.
Sweet dreams, dear.
—Buenas noches, mi amor.
Good night, my love.

Romantic ways to say good night in Spanish.
All the above expressions may be used in romantic contexts, adding one of the following words at the end: mi amor (my love), cariño (sweetheart), querido/a (darling), cielo (honey).

Other ways to say “good night” in Spanish

Other ways exist in Spanish to say “good night” expressing that the speaker is tired and it is bedtime:

8. Me voy a dormir / I’m going to bed

Probably the most common informal expression in family contexts, it indicates the speaker is tired and/or wants to go to bed.

—Estoy cansado. Me voy a dormir.
I’m tired. I’m going to bed
—Chau. Hasta mañana.
Bye. See you tomorrow.

Similar expressions with the same meaning are: me voy a acostar, me voy a la cama, me voy a descansar.

9. (Ya es) hora de irme a dormir / It’s bedtime for me

An informal, rather emphatic expression, it indicates it is past the speaker’s bedtime.

—Es tarde. Ya es hora de irme a dormir.
It’s late. It’s bedtime for me.
—Que descanses.
Sleep well.

10. ¡A dormir! / Time to go to bed

This expression is used to address children. Otherwise, it will sound patronizing.

—Niños, se hizo tarde. ¡A dormir!
Children, it’s late. Time to go to bed!
—Buenas noches, papá.
Good night, Dad.

Similar expressions include: hora de dormir (it’s bedtime), hora de irse a dormir (time to go to bed), vete a dormir (go to bed).

Slang ways to say “good night”

Spanish has many other very informal and slang ways to express the speaker is tired, used in family contexts:

11. Estoy muerto/a de sueño / I’m dead tired

This very informal expression is typically used in combination with me voy a dormir (I’m going to bed).

—Estoy muerto de sueño. Me voy a dormir. ¿Y tú?
 I’m dead tired. I’m going to bed. And you?
—Yo también.
Me too.

Another expression with a similar meaning is: estoy muerto/a (I’m wiped out).

12. Me caigo de sueño / I’m dead on my feet

This very informal expression is used to express that the speaker is extremely tired and/or is ready to go to bed.

—¿Me perdonas si abandono la partida? Me caigo de sueño.
Sorry to leave the game. I’m dead on my feet.
—No hay problema. Yo también estoy muerto de sueño.
No problem. I’m dead tired myself.

Other expressions with the same meaning are: me muero de sueño, me estoy muriendo de sueño.

13. Se me cierran los ojos / I can barely keep my eyes open

Se me cierran los ojos or Se me están cerrando los ojos is said when the speaker is so extremely tired that they are falling asleep.

—Se me están cerrando los ojos. Me voy a dormir ya mismo.
I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m going to bed right now.
—Yo también.
Me too.

14. Voy a dormir como un tronco / I’m going to sleep like a log

An extremely colloquial expression, it is said when the speaker is so tired that they are planning to sleep soundly.

—Esta noche cuando termine mi trabajo voy a dormir como un tronco.
Tonight when I finish my work, I’m going to sleep like a log.
—¡Ya lo creo!
You bet!

Another expression with the same meaning is: voy a dormir como un bebé (I’m going to sleep like a baby).

15. Voy a caer muerto (de sueño) / I’m going to conk out

Said to express that the speaker is extremely tired. If the speaker is a female, the wording is voy a caer muerta.

—Anoche no dormí nada, por lo que hoy voy a caer muerto de sueño.
Last night I didn’t sleep a wink, so tonight I’m going to conk out.
—Seguro que sí.
I bet you will.

Other sleep and bedtime-related phrases in Spanish

Other words and expressions related to sleep and bedtime are:

tener sueño to be, feel sleepy	estar cansado to be tired	tener lindos sueños to have sweet dreams
dormir bien to sleep well	dormirse fall asleep, get to sleep	dormir mal to sleep badly
tener una pesadilla to have a nightmare	tener insomnio to have insomnia	quedarse despierto hasta tarde to stay up late
quedarse despierto toda la noche to stay up all night	quedarse a dormir en lo de un amigo to sleep over at a friend’s house	hacer una pijamada to have a pajama party
contar ovejas to count sheep	no poder dormir not being able to sleep	roncar to snore

Related articles:

• “Thank you” in Spanish
• “You’re welcome" in Spanish

References

• Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, accessed June 18, 2024, 2024
• Wordreference.com, accessed June 18, 2024,  https://www.wordreference.com/