Que tengas un buen día (Spanish for “have a good day”) is a high-frequency expression when parting. Several other phrases exist that are derived from it, such as:
| tú (informal “you”) | usted (formal “you”) | ustedes (plural “you”) |
|---|---|---|
| Que tengas un buen día | Que tenga un buen día | Que tengan un buen día |
| Que tengas un lindo día | Que tenga un lindo día | Que tengan un lindo día |
| Que pases un hermoso día | Que pase un hermoso día | Que pasen un hermoso día |
| Que estés bien | Que esté bien | Que estén bien |
| Que te vaya bien | Que le vaya bien | Que les vaya bien |
| Que disfrutes el fin de semana | Que disfrute el fin de semana | Que disfruten el fin de semana |
Though mostly found in casual contexts as they address the tú pronoun (informal “you”), que tengas un buen día and all related expressions may be altered to address the usted pronoun (formal “you”) and the ustedes pronoun (plural “you”), making them suitable for all contexts.
Quick tip: Nearly all expressions of good wishes in Spanish start with que, an ellipsis of te deseo que or le(s) deseo que… meaning “I hope/wish you…”. As pronouns are usually omitted, so it is the verb (conjugated in the subjunctive mood) that indicates which pronoun the expression addresses. The conjunction que does not receive an accent.
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1. Que tengas un buen día / Have a good day
This is the most common expression for wishing someone a good day. A polite, casual phrase, it literally translates as “may you have a good day”:
—Hasta más tarde. Que tengas un buen día.
See you later. Have a good day.
—¡Gracias! Lo mismo para ti.
Thanks! The same to you.
2. Que tengas un hermoso día / Have a beautiful day
This is a somewhat stronger expression, which sounds very sweet and polite:
—Adiós, mi amor. ¡Que tengas un hermoso día!
Bye, sweetheart. Have a beautiful day!
—¡Adiós, mamá!
Bye, Mom!
Related expressions may be formed by changing the adjective. Other phrases with the verb tener (have) include: que tengas un bonito día (“have a nice day”), and que tengas un lindo día (“have a nice day”).
3. Que pases un bonito día / Have a great day
This expression takes the verb pasar (spend), making it particularly suitable for situations in which the listener is planning to spend a day out or doing a special activity:
—Que pases un bonito día de campo.
I hope you have a great day out in the field.
—¡Muchísimas gracias!
Thanks a lot!
Related expressions with the verb pasar include: que pases un lindo día (“have a nice “), and que pases un hermoso día (“have a beautiful day”).
4. Que lo pases bien / Have a good time
This expression is particularly used when the speaker knows that the listener has some special plans:
—Suerte en la fiesta. ¡Que lo pases bien!
Good luck at the party. Have a good time!
—Gracias, chau!
Thanks, bye!
Other related expressions with the same meaning are: que lo pases lindo, que lo pases hermoso.
5. Que te vaya bien / Have a good one
Though this expression may be used with the meaning of “have a good day”, it is usually used, yet not exclusively, for wishing someone good luck:
—Adiós. ¡Suerte en el examen! Que te vaya bien.
Goodbye. Good luck in the exam! Have a good one.
—¡Muchas gracias!
Thank a lot.
6. Cuídate / Take care
A typical parting expression in many South American countries:
—Chau, hasta mañana. Cuídate.
Bye, see you tomorrow. Take care.
—Gracias, tú también. Nos vemos mañana.
Thanks, you too. See you tomorrow.
7. Que estés bien / Keep safe
This expression is used when parting, wishing that the listener will stay in good health. It may be literally translated as “I wish you well” or “May you be well”:
—Nos vemos. Que estés bien.
See you around. Keep safe.
—Gracias, igualmente.
Thanks, you too.
Related expressions with the same meaning include: que andes bien, que sigas bien.
8. Buen fin de semana / Have a good weekend
A casual greeting, the laid-back short form being buen finde, which is used in informal contexts:
—Chau, hasta el lunes. ¡Buen finde!
Bye, see you on Monday. Have a good weekend!
—¡Gracias, igualmente! Hasta el lunes.
Thanks, same to you! See you on Monday.
Related expression include: buen viernes (happy Friday), buena semana (have a good week).
9. ¡Chau, suerte! / Bye, good luck!
A typical greeting in some South American countries, it is a very informal and casual expression. Being a parting greeting, the listener should not respond gracias (“thank you”), as the speaker is not actually wishing them good luck:
—¡Chau, suerte! ¡Nos vemos!
Bye, good luck! See you!
—Chau, cuídate.
Bye, take care.
10. Feliz día / Happy day
This expression is reserved for birthdays, celebrations and other special occasions:
—¡Feliz día! Te deseo que pases un hermoso cumpleaños.
Happy day! I wish you have a great birthday.
—Gracias de todo corazón.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Other greetings for good wishes as well as for festivities and celebrations include:
Feliz cumpleaños
Happy birthday
Felices vacaciones
Happy vacation
Buen viaje
Have a good trip
Feliz Navidad
Merry Christmas
Feliz Año Nuevo
Happy New Year
Felices fiestas
Happy holidays
Felices Pascuas
Happy Easter
Feliz Día de la Independencia
Happy Independence Day
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How to respond to “have a good day” in Spanish
To respond to “have a good day”, several expressions may be used depending on context. As a general rule, the shorter the response, the more informal it is. Conversely, the longer the expression, the more formal.
Gracias, igualmente.
Thanks, the same to you.
Muchas gracias. Lo mismo para ti.
Thank you very much. The same to you.
Lo mismo para ti. Que tengas un excelente día.
The same to you. Have a great day.
- Explore more: “You’re welcome” in Spanish
Other ways to say goodbye in Spanish
A large number of other ways exist in Spanish to say goodbye, which range from casual, informal expressions to formal ones, depending on the setting. The most common include:
Adiós
Goodbye
Chau / Chao
Bye
Hasta mañana
See you tomorrow
Nos vemos
See you around
Buenas noches
Good night
¡Qué alegría haberte visto!
So glad to see you!
- See also: “Good night” in Spanish
Common greetings in Spanish
Among the most common Spanish greetings for everyday situations are:
| Hola Hi, hello | ¿Qué tal? How’s it going? | De nada You’re welcome |
| ¡Buenas! Greetings | Qué alegría verte Glad to see you | Fue un placer It was a pleasure |
| ¿Cómo estás? How are you? | Hola a todos Hi everyone | Felicitaciones Congratulations |
| ¿Todo bien? Everything OK? | Es un placer conocerlo/conocerla It’s a pleasure to meet you | Bienvenido/bienvenida Welcome |
| Buenos días Good morning | Hola, ¿cómo fue tu día? Hi, how was your day? | Que te mejores Get better |
| Buenas tardes Good afternoon | Gracias Thank you / Thanks | ¡Salud! 1.Cheers 2.Bless you |
| Buenas noches Good evening / Good night | Gracias por todo Thanks for everything | Que descanses Sleep well |
| Encantado/encantada Pleased to meet you | Mil gracias Thanks a lot | Que duermas bien Sleep tight |
| El gusto es mío The pleasure is all mine | No hay de qué Not at all | Saludos Greetings |
| ¿Cómo has estado? How have you been? | ¿Y tú? What about you? | Que la pases bien Have a nice one |
| Tanto tiempo Long time no see | Manda saludos a la familia Say hi to the family | Nos vemos See you around |
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References
- Oxford Spanish Dictionary, 3rd edition on CD-ROM, Oxford University Press, accessed July 31, 2024, 2024
- Wordreference.com, accessed July 31, 2024, https://www.wordreference.com/
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