Greetings in Italian (hello, goodbye, ...)

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Greetings (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

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

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Dialogues in informal situations - Single choice set

Slide 1 of 11

Choose the best answer that fits in the dialogue.

1. Ciao Maria, come va?
- Hi Maria, how are you?

Ciao Andrea, sto bene e tu?
Ciao Andrea, prego

2. Finalmente la lezione di oggi è finita a domani Lucia!
- Today's lesson is finally over, see you tomorrow Lucia!

A più tardi!
A domani Marco!

3. Ciao, come stai oggi?
- Hi, how are you today?

Ciao, sto meglio grazie
Buonasera

4. A stasera, ragazzi. Ciao!
- See you tonight guys. Bye!

Addio
A stasera!

5. L'appuntamento è tra mezz'ora e io sono in ritardo. Ci vediamo più tardi!
- The appointment is in half an hour and I'm late. See you later.

Arrivederci!
A dopo!

6. Vado al lavoro, buona giornata!
- I'll go to work, have a nice day!

Arrivederci
A stasera, buona giornata!

7. Tieni il libro, me lo ridai domani. Ciao!
- Keep the book, you'll give it back to me tomorrow. Bye!

Addio
Grazie mille, a domani!

8. Vado al supermercato e poi vengo con voi al cinema. A dopo!
- I'll go to the supermarket and then I'll with you to the cinema. See you later!

A tra poco!
A domani!

9. Ciao mamma!

Ciao! Come va?
Non tanto bene

10. Grazie per essere venuto con me
- Thank you for coming with me

Figurati
A più tardi

Exercise on the use of greetings in Italian - Fill in the blanks

Fill in the correct greetings.

1. It's 9 AM; you meet an elderly person in the elevator. You say: «!»

2. You and your mom are having a chat late in the night, then you start feeling sleepy. Before leaving you say: «!»

3. You are having a walk in town and meet a friend of yours. You say: «, and then ask ?» to know if he/she is doing fine.

4. You're on your way to meet your sister for a chat. You'll be there in five minutes. You text her: !

5. You are at a gala dinner with a lot of important guests. When introducing yourself, you say «!»

6. It's the last day at your summer school in Italy and you are travelling back home. To all your Italian friends you say: «!»

7. It's 4 PM, you enter a shop and say: «!»

8. And when leaving, you say: «!»

9. You have finished working for the day and you are going home. You'll be back tomorrow, so you say: «!»

10. You have finished working, but you are meeting your colleagues later for dinner. Now you say: «!»

Dialogue in a formal situation - Fill in the blanks

Fill in the missing words with the right greeting or the right expression that can keep the conversation going on.

AT 10 AM

Signora Rossi: « Signor Verdi,

(Lei)?»
Signora Rossi: « Good morning Mr Verdi. how are you?»

Signor Verdi: « Signora Rossi, »
Signor Verdi: « Hello (formal) Ms Rossi, I am not well »

Signora Rossi: «»
Signora Rossi: « I'm sorry »

Signor Verdi: «»
Signor Verdi: « Never mind »

Signora Rossi: «Le consiglio di andare a casa a riposare»
Signora Rossi: « I suggest you to go home and rest »

Signor Verdi: «Sì, Vado a casa a riposarmi. !

!»
Signor Verdi: « Yes, I go home and rest. See you tomorrow! Goodbye! »

Signora Rossi: « , !»
Signora Rossi: « See you tomorrow, goodbye! »