How do you say good night in Spanish?

Say buenas noches, to anyone. You use it when you arrive somewhere after dark, when you leave, and when someone goes to bed.

  • buenas nochesUnit 2

    good evening; good night (a hello AND a goodbye)

  • Adiós, buenas noches.Unit 2

    Goodbye, good night.

    Leaving in the evening.

  • Buenas noches.Speak

    Good evening.

    Your model answer when Memo the taxi driver greets you at night.

  • The taxi driver says good evening

    Taxi ride · Memo, the taxi driver

    Q¡Buenas noches!

    Good evening!

    Or they might say:
    Good evening! How's it going?

    You can answer

    ABuenas noches.

    Good evening.

    Buenas noches is a hello as well as a goodbye. Once it is dark, use it to greet a driver, a waiter or a neighbor.

Is buenas noches hello or goodbye?

Both. After dark, buenas noches is how you greet a taxi driver or a waiter, and how you say goodbye when you leave. Context makes it clear.

How do you say "sleep well" in Spanish?

Say que descanses ("rest well", to a friend) or que duermas bien ("sleep well"); to a partner or a child, dulces sueños ("sweet dreams").

  • Que descanses.

    Rest well. Sleep well.

  • Que duermas bien.

    Sleep well.

  • Dulces sueños.

    Sweet dreams.

What mistakes do English speakers make with buenas noches?

The common mistakes are saying buena noche in the singular, and saying buenas tardes once it's dark.

  • Buena noche. The greeting is plural: buenas noches.
  • Buenas tardes at 9 p.m. Once it's dark, it's buenas noches, even as a hello.
  • Thinking buenas noches ends a conversation. As a hello, it starts one.

How can you practice saying it out loud?

Say it to someone who answers. In CiaoSpeak's Spanish course, set in Mexico City, the lessons teach buenas noches with a recording and a note on when to use it, and in the Speak tab a character in a real scene (a barista, a taxi driver, your language-exchange partner Ana) talks to you and you answer out loud. The app tells you whether a person would understand you, with one gentle fix if not. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like. More phrases: how to say everyday things in Spanish.

Frequently asked questions

Is buenas noches hello or goodbye in Spanish?

Both. After dark, buenas noches is the normal hello and the normal goodbye; context tells you which.

How do you say sweet dreams in Spanish?

Say dulces sueños. It's affectionate, for a partner, a child or a close friend; que descanses ("rest well") works with anyone.

When do you start saying buenas noches?

Once it's dark, roughly from 7 or 8 p.m., a little earlier in winter. Before that, it's buenas tardes.