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there are several ways of greeting people in Italian, depending on who you are addressing, and whether you want to be formal or not. Say buongiorno (good morning) or buonasera (good afternoon/good evening), if you want to sound polite.
Hello…
| Buongiorno. | Hello. |
| Buongiorno signora Rossi. | Good morning, Mrs Rossi. |
| Buongiorno Francesco, come va? | Good afternoon Francesco, how are you? |
| Buonasera. | Good evening. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
buon pomeriggio (good afternoon) exists in Italian. However it is only used on the radio or television, for example by newscasters. It would sound a bit odd if you greeted people saying buon pomeriggio: stick to buongiorno or, later on in the day, buonasera. Remember to say buongiorno or buonasera as you enter a shop or a restaurant.
Use salve (hi) if you wish to sound a bit more informal, whether you know the people you are greeting or not. If you’re on friendly terms with someone or if you are addressing somebody young, you can say ciao (hi).
Hi…
| Salve, cerco Matteo. | Hi, I’m looking for Matteo. |
| Salve, come va? | Hi, how are things? |
| Ciao ragazzi, come va? | Hi there, how are things? |
Use arrivederci to say goodbye to people you don’t know well. You can just say ciao to people you know or to somebody young. buongiorno and buonasera are also often used to say goodbye.
Goodbye…
| Arrivederci. | Goodbye. |
| Arrivederci, signora Clari! | Goodbye, Mrs Clari! |
| Ciao, ci vediamo domani. | Bye, see you tomorrow. |
| Allora io vado, buonasera a tutti. | I’m off, goodnight everybody. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
Remember to say in Italian arrivederci when you leave a shop or restaurant.
While in English you can use goodnight to mean ‘goodbye’ or to wish somebody a good night’s sleep, in Italian you use buonanotte (goodnight) only before going to bed.
Goodnight…
| Meglio domire adesso. Buonanotte! | Better go to sleep now. Goodnight! |
| Vado a dormire, sono proprio stanca. Buonanotte a tutti. | I’m going to bed, I’m really tired. Goodnight everybody. |
| Buonanotte e sogni d’oro! | Goodnight and sweet dreams! |
See you…
| A domani! | See you tomorrow! |
| A lunedì! | See you on Monday! |
| Ci vediamo! | See you later! |
| Allora a più tardi, ciao! | See you later! |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
In Italian, if you use a più tardi for see you later, you expect to see the person later on that day, not just some time in the future as in English.
You may want to introduce people you know to one another. The simplest way is by saying questo (or questa) è (this is) when introducing a person. You can also use ti presento (I’d like you to meet) when addressing someone you know well, or le presento to be more formal. When speaking to several people use vi presento.
This is…
| Questo è mio marito David. | This is my husband, David. |
| Questi sono i miei figli Andrew, Gordon e Emma. | These are my children, Andrew, Gordon and Emma. |
| Ti presento Lara. | I’d like you to meet Lara. |
| Mi permetta di presentarle Richard, il mio compagno. | Let me introduce You to Richard, my partner. |
| Vi presento James, il fratello di Kate. | I’d like you all to meet James, Kate’s brother. |
When you’re introduced to someone, you’ll want to know how to react. Just say piacere (nice to meet you) or molto piacere (how do you do?). You can also say piacere di conoscerla, or conoscerti to somebody younger. You can then introduce yourself, by saying your name. In more formal situations, Italians quite often give their surname rather than their first name.
Nice to meet you…
| Piacere, Emma. | Nice to meet you, I’m Emma. |
| Piacere, io sono Anna e questo è Kevin. | Nice to meet you, I’m Anna and this is Kevin. |
| Molto piacere, Sinclair. | How do you do, my name’s Sinclair. |
| E tu sei Maria? Piacere di conoscerti. | Are you Maria? Nice to meet you. |
| Piacere di conoscerla, avvocato Martini. | Nice to meet You, Mr. Martini. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
Italians often use titles like avvocato (lawyer), ingegnere (engineer), architetto (architect) when addressing professionals, even without the name of the person, for example Buongiorno architetto!, in the same way as we would address a doctor.
If you want to introduce yourself to somebody, you can say Piacere… and your name. A more formal way is to use Mi permetta di presentarmi,… (May I introduce myself,…).
Hello, I’m…
| Piacere, sono Kate Brooks. | Hello, I’m Kate Brooks. |
| Piacere, Peter. | Hello, I’m Peter. |
| Salve, sono il fratello di Jane. | Hi, I’m Jane’s brother. |
| Mi permetta di presentarmi, mi chiamo Thomas Baxter. | May I introduce myself, I’m Thomas Baxter. |
BUONO A SAPERSI!
If you have missed an introduction but you are keen to meet somebody you can say:
Mi scusi, non ci siamo presentati, io sono Catherine. Lei è…? (Excuse me, we haven’t been introduced, I’m Catherine, You’re…?).
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