All the words you need to know to live in Italy: greetings
-
Addio
Goodbye. It is used formally when you will not see the person for a long time. In many cases it is a 'final' goodbye, like the one given to the deceased before they are buried.
-
Arrivederci
Goodbye. It is used when to say good bye to someone you will see again soon. It is quite formal.
-
Buon pomeriggioGood afternoon. It is used to greet people in the afternoon.
-
BuonanotteGood night. It is used when going to sleep.
-
BuonaseraGood evening. It is used to greet people in the evening.
-
Buongiorno
Good morning. It is used to greet people from the morning to the afternoon.
-
Ciao
Hi. It is the informal greeting and one of the most commonly used Italian words. It is used when meeting people and also to say good-bye to someone in an informal way.
-
Piacere
Pleased to meet you. When two people meet for the first time and introduce themselves: “Piacere, mi chiamo Claudia / Piacere di conoscerti” “Pleased to meet you. My name is Claudia”.
-
Pronto?
Hello? It is used when answering a phone call.
-
Salve
Hello. it is a slightly more formal greeting than 'ciao'. It is used when meeting someone.