“Have a good evening” is something we say in our daily life for a lot of time. But have you ever thought, does it have any other meaning or how to reply to them, what can be the different ways to reply? It’s alright if you never have.
You may have never thought this probably can be a thing. Yet, those are just some simple words of our daily life with a lot of inner- meanings and symbolizations related to it.
Here, in this article we would like to discuss what it means, how to say “have a good evening”, how to reply to it, how to say these words in different languages. So, to know more, please scroll through the whole article.
“Have a good evening” is something we say in our daily life for a lot of time. But have you ever thought, does it have any other meaning or how to reply to them, what can be the different ways to reply? It’s alright if you never have. You may have never thought this probably can be a thing.
Yet, those are just some simple words of our daily life with a lot of inner- meanings and symbolizations related to it. Here, in this article we would like to discuss what it means, how to say “have a good evening”, how to reply to it, how to say these words in different languages. So, to know more, please scroll through the whole article.
When to Say Have a Good Evening?
From the phrase itself you can easily understand if you can greet these phrases when it’s the exact time? But the real trouble and confusion arises with time. When this time arises is a question of debate. Depending on different parts of the world, this time can start as early as 3 p.m.
This phase of a day may last until 5 to 6 p.m. So what matters most is that when the sun sets. An evening usually starts before the sunset and ends at the beginning of night. So when we are greeting someone a good evening it means that it is not still night and the majority of people are not going to bed till now.
As the time for bed for most of the people arrives, we should not use this term anymore and opt for wishing them a good night.
How Do You Say Have a Good Evening?
Depending upon the situation you may need to say have a good evening in many other ways. A common thing between all of these approaches is that they have a positive meaning. Still, using one approach always may sound boring or some situations may call for different phrases instead of “have a good evening”.
In this section, we would like to suggest you some phrases that you may use instead of saying “have a good evening”. Some of the suggestions can be as below.
Have a wonderful evening/Wishing you a wonderful evening
These words are just another verse of saying or wishing a good evening. These words just show enthusiasm and variety in your approach. People use it in a more formal way.
Have a nice evening
This is more of a common way to wish someone a good evening. These words are more like synonyms to each other and have almost the same meaning. You can use this either in a formal way or in an informal way.
Have a great evening
These are some words that we may say to our friends or someone closer to use in an informal way. These words show more spontaneity and emphasize your tone.
Have a lovely evening
This is just another way to wish a person a good evening. These words are somewhat in the sweeter tone.
You can use them in formal or informal, whatever way you may like.
Have a restful evening
You can use these phrases when you are wishing someone peace or some quite environment. For example, if someone arrives after a very long journey and you are parting from them, you may take this approach. This shows your compassion and kindness towards the person.
I wish you a nice evening
These are some phrases that you may want to use for formal conversation. For example, if a customer is checking in a hotel room and the receptionist is bidding hi/her farewell after entering all the information, they can use these terms.
I wish you a good evening
These phrases are also same as the previous one. They have just the same meaning. You can choose either way in the above situation discussed in previous section. These phrases are also common for formal approach.
Thank you have a good evening
These phrases are more for how you would reply when someone wish you a good evening. Through this approach you show your thankfulness as well as your good wishes. For example, when you are arriving from a journey together and you are departing from your friends or colleague. Since they are parting from you and wishing you a good evening, then you can say these phrases. This shows your cordiality in your tone.
Have a good night vs. have a good evening
A lot of people have confusions between saying these two. You may have always wondered when do you say have a good evening and when do you say have a good night. Though from the phrases itself it is evident that you have to use them according to the time.
Still, people find it difficult as we are not sure when the time is considered evening or night. Evening start before the sun set and continues till the time night starts. The night starts when majority of people goes to bed. These two may differ according to the time zone we are in. So if the sun set and the person is not going to bed afterwards, you can just wish them a good evening.
An example to consider
For instance, if you are leaving any party after sunset and you know the person is not going to sleep afterwards, you may wish a good evening. But if it’s late enough for the bed, you can wish them a good night. So you see, it depends on whether they are going for the bed or not.
Different ways to say good evening
As we may need to travel to different countries, we need to blend into their culture. Since greetings play an important role in communication, so it’s better to know how to say them. In this section, we would like to discuss about the how we can wish someone in different languages. Some of the examples may go as the below:
Have a good evening in French
The French term of good evening is that bonsoir. This can either be a greeting or a way of saying goodbye. The French phrase of saying “have a good evening” is that “passe une bonne soirée “.
“Bonne soirée” is also a phrase French people use when they wish any person a nice evening. But you can only use that when you are leaving someone at any event or party and you actually wish them they get a better evening.
Have a good evening in Spanish
In case of Spanish greeting there are two says namely formal or informal ways to greet the other person. Your relationship with the person is formal or informal depends upon you.
But you should remember that many parts of Spain is more formal than the others. Therefore, you need to understand what approach you should go for considering the relationship between you and the person.
If you want to wish someone a good evening in a formal way you can say ‘[Que] tenga una buena noche’.
For an informal way you can say ‘Que tengas una buena noche’ .
Have a good evening in Japanese
“こんばんは Konbanwa” is the Japanese term for saying a good evening. The Japanese national broadcasting organization NHK suggests that one should use this greeting when the sun as already set and the day has tuned into darkness. In summer this time is around 7p.m and in winter this time is around 5.30 p.m.
Good afternoon in Japanese
“Konnichiwa こんにちは” is the term for wish someone a good afternoon. These phrases have the same meaning as “hi” or “hello” in English. However, In Japanese language, people use these phrases to greet anyone a good afternoon.
Good night in Japanese
“おやすみ “Oyasumi” is the expression the Japanese people use for wishing someone a good night.
But if you are using these phrases you have to be careful. These expressions may not be proper depending upon the situations. For example if you are speaking with a friend and they are about to go to bed, you may just say oyasumi. But if you are speaking with a senior you should opt for the more formal approach.
Good morning in Japanese
“おはようございます Ohayōgozaimasu” is the expressions for greeting someone a good morning in Japan. In japan, if you see someone the morning bad you know that they may not answer back, you still say that Ohayou gozaimasu and you can create a cordial bond here. Therefore, this phrase is a must to learn for Japanese Language.
Good day in Japanese
Though in English it’s very common to wish someone a good day, this is not the case in Japanese language. They use different terms according to different situations.The most natural term one may use is that “良(よ)い一日(いちにち)をお過(す)ごしください yoi ichi nichi o osugoshi kudasai”.
Have a good evening in Portuguese
“tenha uma boa noite” is the term for greeting a person good evening in Portuguese. Actually in Portuguese there are no other words for wishing a person good night. So though “Boa noite” stands for good night, people there still use it for greeting a good evening.
Therefore in Portuguese even if you are saying anyone “tenha uma boa nite” that does not mean they are going for bed. It just means you are leaving and wishing them a better evening.
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Have a good evening in Italian
If you want to wish someone a good evening you may say “buona serata. In Italian, they are some of the phrases that you may use both in the formal or informal way. Though with the tone in and out they can have slightly rudeness in speaking manner, but it is no big deal. People achieve the language with time.
Is it formal to say “have a good evening”?
Yes, it is formal to say have a good evening. The term is used for formal gathering or any event. Here, when you are speaking with your colleague or any adult person you may want to use this term. But between friends people do not use these term generally. In this context people generally opt for more informal terms.
Sometimes in formal conversation, a person may use this as a gateway for asking further question. For example if you call a call center or any service center call you they may use this term when they are going to end their conversation. Then they may ask you if you want to know more about anything? Among friends or for any informal approach, people generally do not use these terms.
How do you reply?
We have discussed about how you may say good evening greeting in many ways. But, you may have wondered what you can say in response to those terms. Some of your reply can be same as follows:
Thanking them
When someone wishes you a good evening, it shows their kind approach towards you. In reply you can show your thankfulness. You can simply say “thank you” or “thanks a lot”. For instance, you meet the host of a party or at this time of the day, after finishing they may wish a good evening. In this case, you can simply thank them for their wish.
Wishing them same
In reply to a good evening, you can also wish them in the same way . If you do not want to say the whole phrase just say “you too “or “you the same”. For instance, you meet some of your colleague in a party or a evening, after finishing they may wish a good evening. In this case, you can simply reply them as the same. By this you show cordiality and intimacy in your bond.
Wave and nod
If you are in hurry, you may just want to wave or nod so that you do not appear rude or arrogant. For example, if you are checking out or in a hotel and the receptionist may wish you a good evening in that case you may be in a rush or you may not want to reply. In that case you may turn back and nod. As a result, they would understand you heard them and took their greetings.
Therefore, you can understand you may use different terms in the response to a good evening greeting. Considering your situations, you should choose which approach suits you better. You can opt for the way you like just maintaining the standard manner.
Quotes Related to Good Evening
Evening is something that has created appeal towards many people. So, there exist a lot of famous quotes about an evening. Some of them may be as below.
Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.
Lord Byron ‧ Poet & Politician
Sweet the coming on of grateful evening mild; then silent night With this her solemn bird and this fair moon, And these the gems of heaven, her starry train
John Milton ‧ English poet
O, thou art fairer than the evening air Clad in the beauty of a thousand stars.
Christopher Marlowe ‧ English Playwright & Poet
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip commodo consequat.
Adele ‧ Pop Singer
FAQ
How do you wish someone a good evening?
One way to wish someone a good evening is simply saying, “Good evening!” Another option could be to say, “Have a good evening” or “I hope you have a pleasant evening.”
Have a lovely evening in a formal email?
A formal way to express “have a nice evening” in an email could be “Wishing you a pleasant evening.”
Is good evening too formal?
No, “Good evening” is not too formal. It is a polite and appropriate greeting for both formal and informal situations. It is commonly used in professional settings and social problems when greeting someone in the evening.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we can say that, though “have a good evening” are some simple words with simple meaning. But it still has got much symbolization.
These words are some phrases that changes according to time, culture and manners. To be a better speaker everyone needs to learn how to use this simple greeting. In conclusion, this is a part of cultural phenomenon.