65 Ways To Say Good Night In Spanish: Alternatives To Buenas Noches

One of the first things that we need to learn when we travel to a foreign country is how to greet in the language spoken there so that we show respect for their culture and customs.

So, if you’re planning a trip to Spain or Latin America, it’s a great idea to learn how to say good night in Spanish, as this phrase doesn’t always translate literally from English.

Also, this might be an excellent time to revise some well-known other greetings in Spanish!

Check out this short video from Spring Spanish’s YouTube channel and be prepared to say buenas noches in Spanish!

If you’d like to explore how to tell good night in Spanish in different contexts, or you’re interested in learning flirting ways to wish someone a good evening in Spanish to your corazoncito, then this is the right article for you!

1. How do you say good night in Spanish?

Effortless Answers

The simplest and most extended way to say good night in Spanish is buenas noches. The translation is rather straightforward, except for the fact that the Spanish version is plural in form, so its literal translation would be “good nights”.

The correct pronunciation of buenas noches sounds like this:

Another difference between the two phrases is when they are used.

As Spanish lacks the greeting good evening, and moves directly from buenas tardes (good afternoon) to buenas noches (good evening, good night), the latter is actually used within a broader period of time than its English counterpart, and for more purposes. It’s appropriate in formal and informal contexts.

And now, let’s move on!

We can say buenas noches (good night) when we:

  • arrive at a place any time after sunset and until we go to bed
  • leave a place provided that it is dark outside
  • are going to bed

A similar expression, also widely used in all Spanish-speaking countries is Hasta mañana. Its literal translation is “until tomorrow”, and it is equivalent to saying See you tomorrow (Nos vemos mañana) in English.

Listen to the pronunciation of hasta mañana:

Hasta mañana can be used when you’re going to sleep at night, or at any time of the day to farewell someone that you won’t be seeing until the following day, like your colleagues at work or at school.

2. Sweet dreams in Spanish

There are several alternative ways to wish someone a nice night in Spanish, depending on who you are addressing and the closeness of your relationship.

you can say good night in spanish with a starry night
Buenas noches is just one way to say good night in Spanish

Good night in Spanish to your kids

SpanishEnglish
Dulces sueñosSweet dreams
A dormir, pequeño/pequeñaTime to sleep, little one
Que descanses, mi niño/niñaRest well, my child
Buenas noches, angelitoGood night, little angel
Hasta mañana, mi tesoroSee you tomorrow, my treasure
Es hora de ir a la camaIt’s time to go to bed
Que tengas lindos sueñosHave beautiful dreams
A soñar con los angelitosGo dream with the little angels
Descansa bien, cariñoRest well, darling
Buenas noches, que duermas como un bebéGood night, sleep like a baby

Good night in Spanish to a group of friends

You would tell an adult:

SpanishEnglish
Que pases buenas nochesHave a good night.

And, if you’re saying good night in Spanish to a group of friends, you could use these phrases:

SpanishEnglish
Buenas noches a todosGood night, everyone
Que descansen bienRest well (to a group)
Dulces sueños para todosSweet dreams to all
Hasta mañana, grupoSee you tomorrow, group
Que pasen una buena nocheHave a good night
Nos vemos mañana, que duerman bienSee you tomorrow, sleep well
Que tengan una noche tranquilaHave a peaceful night
Buenas noches y dulces sueños a la pandillaGood night and sweet dreams to the gang
Que todos descansen y recarguen energíasMay everyone rest and recharge their energy
Hasta mañana, que duerman como angelitosSee you tomorrow, may you all sleep like little angels

Take a look at the following chart to see the different expressions and pronunciations, when to use them, and an example to make them clear. 

SpanishContextExample
Buenas noches
When arrivingBuenas noches, ¿cómo están? – (Good evening, how are you all?)
Buenas noches
When leavingBuenas noches a todos. Hasta mañana. – (Good evening, everyone. See you tomorrow. )
Buenas noches
When going to sleepBuenas noches, mi amor. Que descanses. – (Goodnight, my love. Sleep well.)
Hasta mañana
When leavingHasta mañana, Sr. Perez. Lo veo en la oficina a las 9 am. – (Goodbye, Mr. Perez. I’ll see you at the office at 9 am.)
Hasta mañana
When going to sleepHasta mañana, Tesoro. Que descanses. – (Goodnight, Darling. Sleep well.)
Que tengas buenas noches (tú, vos)
Informal: to address friends and acquaintances.Que tengas buenas noches, mamá. – (Have a goodnight, mum.)
Que tenga (una) buena noche (usted)
Formal: to address people of a higher hierarchy or older than you.Que tenga una buena noche, doctor. – (Have a Good night, doctor.)
Que pases buenas noches (tú, vos)
Informal: to address friends and acquaintances.Que pases buenas noches, mamá. – (Have a goodnight, mum.)
Que pase (una) buena noche (usted)
Formal: to address people of a higher hierarchy or older than you.Que pase una buena noche, doctor. – (Have a Good night, doctor.)
Que duermas bien (tú, vos)
Informal: to address friends and acquaintances.Hasta mañana, Germán. Que duermas bien. – (Good night, Germán. Sleep well.)
Que duerma bien (usted)
Formal: to address people of a higher hierarchy or older than you.Hasta mañana, señora. Que duerma bien. – (Good night, madam. Have a good rest.)
Que descanses (tú, vos)
Informal: to address friends and acquaintances.Hasta mañana, Germán. Que duermas bien. – (Good night, Germán. Sleep well.)
Que descanse (usted)
Formal: to address people of a higher hierarchy or older than you.Hasta mañana, señora. Que duerma bien. – (Good night, madam. Have a good rest.)

Notice the use of the structure:

QUE + PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE (2nd person) + COMPLEMENT

SpanishEnglish
Que duerma/s bienSleep well
Que descanse/sHave a good rest
Que tenga/s buenas nochesHave a good night

This is how you wish them a good night in Spanish, and even though imperative can be used, it sounds more like a command in Spanish, so it is less used:

SpanishEnglish
Duerme bien (tú)Sleep well – informal
Duerma bien (usted)Sleep well – formal
Descansa (tú)Rest – informal
Descanse (usted)Rest – formal
Ten buenas noches (tú)Have a good night – informal
Tenga buenas noches (usted)Have a good night – formal

3. A romantic good night in Spanish

There are many flirty ways to say goodnight in Spanish, the simplest being Buenas noches, mi amor (Goodnight, my love). Yet, there are many words of endearment in Spanish that can replace “mi amor”.

A good night is guaranteed in Madrid, Spain
You could certainly use the phrase Buenas noches, mi amor in Madrid, Spain

Take a look at these evening phrases and various ways to spice up your flirting with your amor! Click the play button on the audio and listen to the pronunciation!

Other ways of saying “Good night, my love” in Spanish

SpanishEnglish
Buenas noches, mi amor.
Goodnight, my love.
Hasta mañana, mi cielo.
Good night, my darling.
Que descanses, mi vida.
Sleep well, my dear.
Que sueñes conmigo, corazón.
May you dream of me, darling.
Dulces sueños, mi amor.
Sweet dreams, my love.
Que tengas dulces sueños, mi amor.
Have sweet dreams, my love.
Hasta mañana, guapo.
Good night, handsome.
Hasta mañana, guapa.
Good night, beautiful.
Buenas noches, bebé.
Good night, baby.

4. Good night in Spanish when you’re leaving a party

You’ve been out all night partying and enjoying the beautiful Spanish landscapes with your friends, but now, it’s to say good night in Spanish to your friends after a few drinks.

Here’s how you can do it:

SpanishEnglish
Me voy a dormir, buenas nochesI’m going to sleep, good night
Ya me retiro, que pasen buenas nochesI’m leaving now, have a good night (to a group)
Ha sido una gran fiesta, buenas noches a todosIt’s been a great party, good night everyone
Me despido, gracias por todo y buenas nochesI’m saying goodbye, thanks for everything and good night
Es hora de irme, que siga la fiesta. ¡Buenas noches!It’s time for me to go, let the party continue. Good night!
Bueno, yo me marcho. Buenas noches y graciasWell, I’m off. Good night and thank you
Ha sido un placer, pero debo irme. Buenas nochesIt’s been a pleasure, but I must go. Good night
Me voy a casa, que descansen todosI’m going home, rest well everyone
Hasta la próxima, buenas noches y buen provechoUntil next time, good night and enjoy the rest of the food
Me retiro, que tengan una linda nocheI’m leaving, have a lovely night

5. Saying good night in Spanish through the phone

Maybe you’re an introvert who’s always shying away from phone conversations. Still, it’s part of the language.

Or you’re an extrovert and like short phone conversations, but still need the best good night phrases. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

SpanishEnglish
Bueno, te dejo descansar. Buenas nochesWell, I’ll let you rest. Good night
Que duermas bien, hablamos mañanaSleep well, we’ll talk tomorrow
Ya es tarde, mejor nos despedimos. Buenas nochesIt’s late, we better say goodbye. Good night
Dulces sueños, te llamo mañanaSweet dreams, I’ll call you tomorrow
Buenas noches, que descanses y sueñes bonitoGood night, rest well and have nice dreams
Me voy a dormir, hablamos luego. Buenas nochesI’m going to sleep, we’ll talk later. Good night
Que tengas una noche tranquila, hasta mañanaHave a peaceful night, talk to you tomorrow
Buenas noches, cuídate y descansaGood night, take care and rest
Ya me voy a la cama. Buenas noches y dulces sueñosI’m going to bed now. Good night and sweet dreams
Te dejo dormir, que pases buena nocheI’ll let you sleep, have a good night

6. Say good night in Spanish and speak like a native with Conversation Based Chunking!

Learning basic Spanish expressions like good night will help you to communicate when traveling, meeting new people from different countries, and more. Adding these phrases to your toolbox will make you sound less like a textbook and more like a native speaker. 

The easiest way to say good night in Spanish and have full Spanish conversations is through a method called Conversation Based Chunking™.

This method (I’ve written a book on it too) is used by hundreds of thousands of students around the world with great success. 

Curious to learn more? Make sure to get your free Spanish Chunking Starter Pack, where I show you a 4-step method to learn Spanish without having to memorize word lists and grammar rules.

It comes with tutorial videos for Conversation Based Chunking ™, resource lists to get you started, and much more. Conversation Based Chunking™ is currently being used by hundreds of thousands of students across the world with great results.

If you want to get fluent in Spanish, I recommend you check out the free starter pack and start implementing the methodology in your studies.

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