Interested in learning Italian? Click below and check our online courses!
Learn ItalianHow do you greet someone in Italian?
Italian
Zhi published
about 5 years ago
Davi published
about 5 years ago
Hi! Sure I can show you some but I'll show you the most common and flexible ones. There are other ways to greet people like even a simple "hey" "eilà" but they are casual. I'll cover the common Italian ways to greet others and ignore these ones.
Italian Greetings
Ciao Hi
This is the most common way to greet someone in Italian but it's also an informal way to do so. It both means "Hi" and "Goodbye" but be careful of using it with anyone because in formal situations such as older people, strangers and people in higher ranks than you, this "ciao" should be avoided.
Buongiorno / Giorno Good morning
This is very similar to "Good morning" and it is used in formal situations. But it can also be heard in informal circumstances every now and then.
Buonasera / Sera Good evening
It works in the same way as Buongiorno but it is only used for the evening. It literally means "Good evening".
Salve Hello
This is like "Ciao" but it's only used when meeting someone or when writing e-mails. Therefore, it's a way to greet someone in a polite way.
Arrivederci Goodbye
This is a formal way that means "Goodbye". Meaning that it's used in formal situations and not with friends, family members and such. Questa è una versione formale che significa "Arrivederci". Ciò significa che è usato in situazioni formali e non con amici, membri di famiglia e simili.
!!! Buon pomeriggio Good afternoon
Several language schools and teachers say that "Buon pomeriggio" exists but in reality it's not used. Instead of it we use "Buongiorno". You can say "Buon pomeriggio" when wishing a good afternoong to someone like for example "Have a good afternoon!" but not as a greeting. Diverse scuole di lingue e insegnanti dicono che esiste "Buon pomeriggio" ma in verità non viene usato. Al suo posto viene usato "Buongiorno". Si può dire "Buon pomeriggio" quando si augura una buon pomeriggio a qualcuno come per esempio "have a good afternoon" ma non come saluto.