Greetings in Italian (hello, goodbye, ...)
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Sign up for freeGreetings (I saluti) are essential in every language.
To use the right word or expression, you have to consider the context of the conversation, and what time it is.
Lesson outline
Hide- 1.Italian greetings list
- 2.Use of greetings in Italy
- 2.1.Hello in Italian (ciao) - informal context
- 2.1.1.How to say how are you in informal context
- 2.2.Hello in Italian (salve) - formal context
- 2.2.1.How to say how are you in formal context
- 2.3.Good morning in Italian
- 2.4.Good afternoon in Italian
- 2.5.Good evening in Italian
- 2.6.Goodnight in Italian
- 2.7.Goodbye in Italian
- 2.7.1.Useful expressions when leaving
- 3.Exercises
- 3.1.Exercise on greetings in Italian - Drag text
- 3.2.Exercise on greetings in Italian - Flashcards
- 3.3.Dialogues in informal situations - Single choice set
- 3.4.Exercise on the use of greetings in Italian - Fill in the blanks
- 3.5.Dialogue in a formal situation - Fill in the blanks
Italian greetings list
In the following table you'll find the most common greetings in Italian.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ciao | Hello / Hi / Bye bye |
| Salve | Hello (formal context) |
| Buongiorno | Good morning |
| Buon pomeriggio | Good afternoon |
| Buonasera | Good evening |
| Buonanotte | Goodnight |
| Arrivederci | Goodbye |
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Use of greetings in Italy
Hello in Italian (ciao) - informal context
Ciao (Hello/Hi) is the most common Italian greeting.
It is very informal, in fact it is used mostly among friends and people acquainted with each other.
In Italian, "Ciao" is used both when meeting (Hi) and when leaving (Bye)
How to say how are you in informal context
After the initial greetings, let's introduce some useful expressions used to keep an informal conversation going.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Come va? / Come stai? | How are you? |
| (Sto) bene | I'm fine |
| (Sto) abbastanza bene | I'm OK |
| (Sto) molto bene | I'm really fine |
| (Sto) meglio | I'm doing better |
| Non (sto) tanto bene | I'm not well |
| (Sto) male | I'm sick / I feel bad |
| E tu? | And you? |
| Grazie | Thank you / Thanks |
| Grazie mille | Thank you very much |
| Di niente / Figurati | Not at all / Don't mention it |
| Prego | You're welcome |
| Per favore / Per piacere | Please |
| Scusa | Sorry / Excuse me |
| Mi dispiace | I'm sorry |
| Non importa / Non ti preoccupare | Don't worry / Never mind |
Look at the following dialogue:
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Andrea | Ciao Maria! | Hi Maria! |
| Maria | Ciao Andrea! Come va? | Hi Andrea! How are you? |
| Andrea | Bene, grazie. E tu, come stai? | Fine thanks. And you? |
| Maria | Abbastanza bene, grazie. | I'm OK, thanks |
| Andrea | Ci vediamo più tardi. Ciao! | See you later. Bye bye! |
| Maria | A dopo. Ciao! | See you later!. Bye bye! |
As we can see, "Ciao" is used both at the beginning and at the end of the dialogue.
Hello in Italian (salve) - formal context
In Italian there is another way to say hello, that is the greeting salve.
It is used in formal contexts only.
It can be used instead of "buongiorno" (good morning), "buon pomeriggio" (good afternoon) and "buonasera" (good evening), regardless of the time of the day.
How to say how are you in formal context
After the initial greetings, let's introduce some useful expressions used to keep a formal conversation going.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Come sta (Lei)? | How are you? |
| E Lei? | And you? |
| Di niente / Si figuri | Not at all / Don't mention it |
| Scusi | Sorry / Excuse me |
| Non importa / Non si preoccupi | Don't worry / Never mind |
Look at the following dialogue:
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Infermiera Nurse | Salve signora Rossi, come sta oggi? | Good morning Ms Rossi, how are you today? |
| Signora Rossi Ms Rossi | Salve! Oggi sto meglio, grazie. | Good morning! I'm doing better today, thank you. |
Good morning in Italian
Buongiorno (Good morning) is used in formal situation, usually between 6 am and 12 am.
This greeting can also be used between friends (classmates, colleagues,...) when they met in the morning.
Moreover, it is also used in the afternoon until around 4 pm/5 pm.
Look at the following dialogue which takes place at 8 am.
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Professoressa Teacher | Buongiorno ragazzi! | Good morning! |
| Studenti Students | Buongiorno Professoressa | Good morning, Ms Jackson |
A common mistake among English speakers is writing "buon giorno" as two words instead of one.
Remember! Buongiorno → Goodmorning vs. buon giorno → good day
Good afternoon in Italian
Buon pomeriggio (Good afternoon) is used in formal situation after lunch time, usually between 12 am and 6 pm.
Look at the following dialogue which takes place at 3 pm.
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Barista Bartender | Buon pomeriggio signor Bianchi, vuole il solito? | Good afternoon Mr Bianchi, do you want the usual? |
| Signor Bianchi Mr Bianchi | Sì, grazie mille. | Yes, thank you very much. |
Buon pomeriggio can be replaced by "buongiorno" until (4 pm/5 pm) and by "buonasera" (from 4 pm/5 pm)
Good evening in Italian
Buonasera (Good evening) is used after sunset, usually between 6 pm and 12 pm or generally when it's dark.
Look at the following dialogue which takes place at 8 pm.
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Cameriere Waiter | Buonasera signori, accomodatevi pure. | Good evening, please take a seat. |
| Signor Verdi Mr Verdi | Buonasera, grazie mille. | Good evening, thank you very much. |
Unlike "buongiorno", "buonasera" can also be written as two separated words "buona sera".
However the one-word version is more common.
Goodnight in Italian
Buonanotte (Goodnight) is said as a wish before going to sleep.
Look at the following dialogue which takes place at 12 pm.
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Miriam | Sono molto stanca, vado a dormire. Buonanotte a tutti! | I'm really tired, I'll go sleep. Goodnight everybody! |
| Tutti Everybody | Buonanotte Miriam! | Goodnight Miriam! |
As "buonasera", "buonanotte" can also be written as two separated words "buona notte".
However the one-word version is more common.
Goodbye in Italian
When leaving, the most common expression in informal situations is ciao (bye).
In more formal situations, the most common expression is arrivederci (goodbye).
Look at the following dialogue:
| Italian | English | |
|---|---|---|
| Cassiera Cashier | Sono trentadue euro. | It's thirty-two euro. |
| Signora Giglio Ms Giglio | Ecco a Lei. | Here you are. |
| Cassiera Cashier | Grazie e arrivederci! | Thank you, goodbye! |
| Signora Giglio Ms Giglio | Arrivederci! | Goodbye! |
Useful expressions when leaving
In the following table you will find other useful expressions that can be used when leaving (both in formal and informal contexts).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ci vediamo (dopo, domani...) | See you (later, tomorrow...) |
| A dopo / A più tardi | See you later |
| A presto | See you soon |
| A tra poco | See you in a while |
| A domani | See you tomorrow |
| A stasera | See you tonight |
| Buona giornata | Have a nice day |
| Addio | Farewell / Goodbye |
Exercises
- Exercise on greetings in Italian - Drag text
- Exercise on greetings in Italian - Flashcards
- Dialogues in informal situations - Single choice set
- Exercise on the use of greetings in Italian - Fill in the blanks
- Dialogue in a formal situation - Fill in the blanks
Exercise on greetings in Italian - Drag text
Exercise on greetings in Italian - Flashcards
Dialogues in informal situations - Single choice set
Exercise on the use of greetings in Italian - Fill in the blanks
Dialogue in a formal situation - Fill in the blanks
Exercises
- Exercise on greetings in Italian - Drag text
- Exercise on greetings in Italian - Flashcards
- Dialogues in informal situations - Single choice set
- Exercise on the use of greetings in Italian - Fill in the blanks
- Dialogue in a formal situation - Fill in the blanks