Questions & Answers about Buenas tardes, profesor.
Why is it Buenas instead of Buenos like in Buenos días?
The word for afternoon, tarde, is feminine in Spanish. Because describing words (adjectives) have to match the gender of the noun they describe, we use the feminine Buenas instead of the masculine Buenos.
Why is Buenas tardes plural when English just says "Good afternoon"?
In Spanish, the standard daily greetings like Buenos días, Buenas tardes, and Buenas noches are always plural. Historically, this came from longer phrases wishing someone a series of good afternoons, but today it is just a set phrase you learn as a chunk.
Does profesor only mean a university professor?
No, it is used much more broadly than in English! In Spain, profesor (and the feminine profesora) is the standard word for a teacher at a high school, a language academy, or a university. For primary school teachers, you might also hear the word maestro.
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