ola / bos días / boas tardes / boas noites
Greetings
Say ola (hi) at any time. By time of day, use bos días (good morning), boas tardes (good afternoon) and boas noites (good evening, good night).
How It Works
Ola. The friendly "hi" or "hello", good at any time of day. It is spelled without h. You often hear it with another greeting: Ola, bos días! or Ola, que tal? See asking how someone is.
Greetings by time of day
- bos días or bo día: from the morning until lunchtime
- boas tardes or boa tarde: from lunchtime until it gets dark
- boas noites or boa noite: after dark, both to say hello and to say good night
Lunch in Galicia is usually around two o'clock, so bos días lasts longer than English "good morning".
Agreement. Bo (good) changes like other adjectives: bo, boa, bos, boas. Día is masculine even though it ends in -a, so it takes bos. See adjective agreement and noun gender.
Formal or friendly. Ola is relaxed. The time-of-day greetings suit any situation, including shops, offices and people you address as vostede.
Examples (6)
- Ola! Que tal?
Hi! How are you?
- Bos días a todos!
Good morning, everyone!
- Bo día, Maruxa!
Good morning, Maruxa!
Bo día is the singular form of bos días. Both are standard.
- Boas tardes, que desexa?
Good afternoon, what would you like?
A typical shop greeting, with desexa in the vostede form.
- Boas noites, ata mañá!
Good night, see you tomorrow!
Boas noites can also be used to say goodbye at night.
- Ola, bos días!
Hello, good morning!
Common Mistakes
Using the Spanish spelling hola.
Hola!Ola!The Galician word is ola, with no h.
Using masculine bos with a feminine noun.
Bos tardes!Boas tardes!Tarde is feminine, so the adjective is boas.
Using the Spanish greeting.
Buenos días!Bos días!The Galician adjective is bo/bos and the noun is día/días.
Related Patterns
- adeus / ata logo / ata mañáFarewells
The matching ways to say goodbye.
Level 1 - que tal?Asking How Someone Is
The question that usually follows a greeting.
Level 1 - Adjective Agreement
Why it is bos días but boas tardes.
Level 1 - Noun Gender
Día is masculine; tarde and noite are feminine.
Level 1 - Silent H
Ola has no h, unlike its Spanish spelling.
Level 1 - grazas / por favor / de nadaPlease and Thank You
Other everyday politeness words.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice ola / bos días / boas tardes / boas noites in Bubblegum
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