Buenos Dias lasts until about 10 in the morning. It seems that Buenos Dias begins and ends when the roosters say so. Then comes Buenas Tardes. Buenas Tardes sticks around longer than you think it should. There really isn’t a time limit on Buenas Tardes, but typically around dark is when Buenas Noches gets fired up. Though there are sure to be some that might not begin using Buenas Noches until around midnight.
That is why I stick to Buena-uh-huh. It can work anytime anywhere. To ensure its effect, it should be confidently mumbled . [Hold that Thought] If it’s 8am and clearly a Buenos Dias moment, as an elderly man or woman is coming my way, then of course I greet them with a proper Buenos Dias. But 19 out of other 20 times that I become aligned with the need to personally salute another, it’s Buena-uh-huh out of this guy.