The Spanish greeting ‘buenas tardes‘ translates both as ‘good afternoon‘ and ‘good evening‘; and the greeting ‘buenas noches‘ means both ‘good evening‘ and ‘good night‘.

So, when do you use ‘buenas tardes’ and ‘buenas noches’?

Unlike in English, these two Spanish greetings have more to do with meals and the sunset than with the actual time of day.

Therefore, ‘buenas tardes’ is usually said after lunch, which is often from 2.00 pm. ‘Buenas noches’, especially in the summer, is usually said after 9.00 pm. In winter, many people say ‘buenas tardes’ at least until 8.00 pm, even if it’s dark; and many only use ‘buenas noches’ after dinner, which tends to be from 9.00 pm.

When using ‘buenas noches’, remember that it’s not only a farewell, but also a greeting. You can use it both when you meet someone and when you leave.

As you can see, there is no golden rule as to when to use these Spanish greetings. The important point is that they’re vague and flexible. Best of all, there’s an easy way out if you’re unsure as to which one to use: you can simply say ‘buenas’.

If you want to practice saying these and other Spanish greetings, you can hear them said by native speakers in the Lessons 2, 3 and 4 of my Spanish course. Here are two samples:

Lesson 2 dialog and flashcards

If you want to speak Spanish with confidence, even if you just know the basics or have only studied the language for a short while, the single most important aspect you should concentrate on is the pronunciation.

You may only be able to say simple, short sentences, but if you can say them clearly and with confidence you’ll be able to get by in most situations. If every Spanish word you know can be understood by Spanish speakers when you say them, those words will take you a long way.

Being able to communicate successfully in Spanish is also a great encouragement to continue studying the language. With a good pronunciation you’ll find it easier to remember new words, and you’ll make much faster progress.

To help you master the Spanish pronunciation, I’ve created some interactive multimedia lessons. You can play those lessons at your own pace and hear the native Spanish speakers in them over and over.

In those lessons you can find out what the common pronunciation mistakes are and how to avoid them, and you can go through the drills to practice building up your confidence.

You can get my free interactive pronunciation lessons at Spanish Bookworld.